'Kitna achha chahiye aapko?’ - Babar Azam's hilarious response shuts down reporter's question about strike rate after PSL loss

Babar Azam: (Image Source: Twitter)

Peshawar Zalmi captain Babar Azam was seen annoyed by a journalist's critical question about his strike rate after his team lost to Islamabad United in their last Pakistan Super League match. Babar and Co. posted a total of 156/8 in 20 overs. United batting, in reply, completely crushed the Zalmi bowlers in 14.5 overs and crossed the target.

Babar Azam was the top scorer of Zalmi, while Rahmanullah Gurbaz smashed 62 off 31 ball. Rassie van der Dussen also played a handy knock of 42 off 29 balls to give United a six-wicket win.

Babar's team were 76/0 at one point but a sudden batting collapse saw them at 99/5. This led the Zalmi captain to slow down his innings and play the anchor role, which resulted in the team getting a below-par score. But the opposition made a mockery of the target as Gurbaz, van der Dussen, and a quick-fire from Asif Ali (29* off 13 balls) gave them victory in the 15th over.

The embarrassing defeat has raised questions over Babar Azam's strike rate as he was striking at only 129.31. In the post-match presentation, a journalist asked Babar about his slow innings and his intent. The skipper was frustrated by his critical queries and asked:

“Kitna achha chahiye aapko? (How much do you want?),” Babar asked the reporter. “200,” the reporter replied.

“300 kar lein aap. (Why don't you just say 300!)," replied Babar.

'It was difficult to accelerate when...'

The reporter clarified that he was not doubting the Pakistan star batter's skills and abilities but his question was about his strike rate. However, Babar explained that it was difficult to accelerate when half of his team returned to the pavilion.

“See, you try. People keep saying things. My strike rate in the first 10 overs was nearly 160. But when you lose 5-6 wickets back to back, you don't try to take your strike rate to 200. You have to build a partnership then. That is what I tried to do."

"You always try to carry the momentum forward, you don't try to break it down. It only happens when wickets fall. My plan was to build a partnership with (Dasun) Shanaka, take it to the 15th over and then take charge. So, justifiably, the strike rate would go down,” Babar added.

Babar Azam responds to a question about his strike rate.#HBLPSL8 | #PSL2023 | #PZvIU pic.twitter.com/J5WIImXrLx

— Grassroots Cricket (@grassrootscric) February 23, 2023