Asia Cup 2022: 'Babar Azam has been unlucky, will make a strong comeback' - Saqlain Mushtaq

It was a tough pill for Pakistan to take, as it missed out on the 2022 Asia Cup title. The Pakistanis surrendered their quest to Sri Lanka at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday, losing by 23 runs, as the latter grabbed the Asian supremacy title. While the Lankans won their sixth Asia Cup championship, the Men in Green remain in the hunt for their third, having last won it in 2012. Meanwhile, what was notable about Pakistan was the batting performance of its top-class skipper-cum-opener Babar Azam, who failed to score enough runs. At the same time, his opening partner, wicketkeeper-opener Mohammad Rizwan, finished as the competition's highest run-scorer.

Azam's poor form is a concern, as the Asia Cup was a platform for Pakistan to prepare for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup in Australia next month. In this tournament, Azam managed 68 runs from six innings at a subpar average of 11.33 and a strike rate of 107.93, with a top score of 30.

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However, when Pakistan's head coach Saqlain Mushtaq was asked about Azam's grey patch, he stated, "Watchful eyes and cricket experts will say this is just a patch. He has been unlucky. He is a world-class player with a great work ethic and will make a strong comeback." He noted the top order's performance and told ANI, "If top order fails, responsibility goes to the middle order. If they fail, it goes to the lower middle order. It is part of the game. We have meetings about it, but I am not very concerned about it. Players have stepped up like Nawaz, Khushdil, and Naseem to win matches for us in the Asia Cup."

Analysing Pakistan's performance in the Final, Mushtaq reckoned, "We played good cricket for the first nine overs, but then they dominated us for the next 31 overs in batting, bowling and fielding. They got the momentum against Afghanistan and look like a strong side now. We did well within the nine overs to get half the side in the dugout, but then, Rajapaksa played the innings of a lifetime. He will remember this innings for a long time. Other batters complimented him well. Hats off to him."