NEW DELHI: England defeated Pakistan by 23 runs in the 2nd T20I at Edgbaston in Birmingham on Saturday, taking a 1-0 lead in the four-match series. The first game was washed out.
Babar Azam scored 32 runs from 26 balls at a strike rate of 123.08, hitting four fours, but his efforts could not secure a win for Pakistan. However, with this knock, Babar overtook India captain Rohit Sharma to become the second leading run-scorer in T20Is.
Rohit has scored 3,974 runs in 151 T20Is for India, while Babar now has 3,987 runs in 118 T20Is for Pakistan. India’s talismanic batter Virat Kohli stands ahead of both Rohit and Babar, currently the highest run-scorer in T20Is with 4,037 runs from 117 matches.
After the game, Babar praised his bowlers and acknowledged their efforts, stating they played a commendable game. He also noted that he and Fakhar Zaman had the only significant partnership, and once that broke, no other batters succeeded.
“It was a par score; our bowlers bowled very well. In the batting, there were moments, but we didn’t finish well. Small partnership between me and Fakhar, and later on, there was no big partnership,” Babar said.
He further emphasized the flexibility and awareness within the team regarding their roles. Babar suggested that the outcome might have been different if he and Fakhar had stayed on the wicket longer.
“We are flexible, everyone knows their role. We have decided each player’s role. If you are not in good form, we are flexible. The way Fakhar dominated after wickets fell … if me and Fakhar had batted for three more overs, it would have been a different ball game,” he added.
