T20 series against Bangladesh in the name of Pakistan: "They have become a team",
Babar Azam now has every right to lie down in a comfortable chair on a beach and breathe a sigh of relief. What they have achieved and the hard work they have achieved, they also deserve such comfort.
When he was given the captaincy of the T20 team, Pakistan was losing the series to South Africa and Sri Lanka one after the other. Sarfraz's champion team was dying and match winners like Shadab Khan and Hassan Ali were getting lost in the maze of injuries and form.
And the first visit was the most difficult for Babar. If there is one corner in the world of cricket from which Pakistan has returned disappointed till date, it is Australia. Babar Azam's debut as captain was to be in Australia.
The team that was spotted on the Tasmanian shores during the tour was very different from the team that stood shoulder to shoulder for a team photo at Sher-e-Bangla Stadium after a clean sweep of the series.
The way Mohammad Waseem bowled, like Shahnawaz Dhani's debut, the way Mohammad Nawaz 'finished' two separate matches, which showed the quality of fielding, it is clear that the team spirit and discipline. At the same time, Pakistan has strengthened its 'bench'. And then after dozens of failures, now their middle order is starting to win the match.
If the same attention is paid to Mohammad Wasim and Shahnawaz Dhani, then next year's T20 World Cup in Australia could be very interesting.
The conditions in Bangladesh were very different from those in the UAE. The bowlers' job was easy and the batsmen's test was just that. And even when such competitions are between odd teams, margins are often exciting. And even if Athar Ali Khan's commentary has a twist on it, the sensation seems to be eager to explode.
When Mahmudullah decided to bowl the last over, it came as a surprise to everyone. An eight-run target in the last over on a difficult wicket for batting can also be a mountain if the opponent is a lively bowler. And Mahmudullah also left Pakistan to do what he could not do with his regular attack.
Even after Rizwan's wicket fell, Pakistan was confident that the target would be easily achieved, but where the pressure was mounting on Sarfraz Ahmed, Mahmudullah was well aware of what he had to do.
Mahmudullah offered Sarfraz the same length as he liked but Sarfraz could understand the piece of the wicket in six balls which even Babar Azam could not understand despite three innings. Immediately after Sarfraz, when Haider Ali also fell victim to the same trick, hope for life was awakened again in Bangladesh.
Anyway, the slow and boring cricket that was seen in this series, required that the end be so tumultuous.
And Pakistan also delivered that climax to the series in its own traditional way. Mahmudullah was on a hat trick chance and Iftikhar threw the first ball across the boundary from Zanata. The next move was by Mahmudullah and Iftikhar kept going.
If Bangladesh's batting had shown a little more courage here, it might have escaped the embarrassment of a clean sweep, but when it comes to finishing the match, then when will Muhammad Nawaz stay behind?
So, Babar Azam can be absolutely satisfied that his team has also achieved the momentum that the record-breaking T20 team achieved three years ago. Then he was the main character of this momentum but now he is also the captain.
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