Former Pakistan skipper made a startling revelation after Peshawar Zalmi's last league stage fixture against Karachi Kings on Monday (March 11) that he was not "satisfied" with being demoted to the No. three spot for Pakistan.
Notably, Babar was made to bat at No. three during Pakistan's T20I tour of New Zealand in January to slot in Saim Ayub as an opener alongside Mohammad Rizwan. The decision didn't really come to fruition as the pair of Ayub and Rizwan couldn't even record a fifty-plus stand for the opening wicket.
Speaking in the post-match press conference, Babar said, "I don't feel or take any pressure whenever I open the innings (in T20Is). The team was demanding me to come down to No. three and I did it for the team. If asked from a personal perspective, I was not satisfied with the move but I did it for Pakistan."
Despite a change in the batting order, Babar put together three fifty-plus scores (57, 66 and 58 runs). Pakistan suffered quite a shellacking in the T20I series as they somehow managed to salvage their pride by winning the final game by 42 runs.
The Blackcaps took the five-match series 4-1.
Meanwhile, Babar is back to doing what he loves in the Pakistan Super League season nine - opening the batting. The Peshawar Zalmi captain is the leading run-getter in the tournament with 498 runs in nine games and has already struck a century and five fifties.
Peshawar Zalmi have booked a spot in the Qualifier and have displayed red-hot form this season. Peshawar have won six out of their 10 games this season. They have suffered three defeats whereas a game ended in a no result. They have accumulated 13 points to their credit and have a net run rate (NRR) of 0.147.
