‘Very disappointed with both my innings’: Babar Azam despite scoring twin fifties

Despite breaking a slump in Test cricket, former Pakistan skipper Babar Azam was extremely livid with himself over how he played in the second Test in Cape Town. Babar, who was batting on 81, got out to an innocuous delivery well outside the off-stump just 15 minutes before stumps, earning criticism from all corners. 

When he should have been relieved with his twin scores of 58 and 81, the dismissals left a bitter aftertaste for Babar, who showed his disappointment in the post-day press conference. 

"I'm very disappointed with both innings. I started well, but didn't finish well," he said. "If you settle, you must go much bigger. That is why I was a bit upset. There were just 15 minutes left."

After going two full years of not scoring a single half-century in Test cricket, Babar has racked up three half-centuries in as many innings across the last two Tests, showing signs of him returning to form. 

What makes it special was that he saw through the new ball alongside skipper Shan Masood, in the absence of Saim Ayub, to save Pakistan from the blushes in the second innings, scoring a stroke-filled 81 before a shambolic dismissal. 

"The conditions here are different from Centurion," Babar said. 

"When you come to South Africa, you don't expect that [the pitch will be so flat]. With the new ball, it was a bit challenging, but once you settled down and built a partnership, it became easier. But there are some rough patches; you saw a couple of overs from Maharaj to Shan which got some turn and bounce. So the spinner is a bit of a challenge for the batter. But against the fast bowler, if you're settled, just play your normal game."

Despite a lull, Babar wasn’t too fazed about his poor showing over the last two years, insisting that he wanted to just ‘stay calm’ and believe in his ability to work hard. 

"Things change in life all the time," he said. "I learned a lot during this time [of poor form] when what I wanted to do I wasn't able to do, and when I couldn't do the things that people expected of me. I just kept telling myself to stay calm, and believe that my ability and hard work would be vindicated, and to try and enjoy myself. But what was really important was to spend some time on the pitch, and thankfully [that has happened this series]."