Pakistan star Babar Azam has refuted claims that he is not flexible when it comes to his batting position, claiming that "no one has shuffled as much as I have."
Earlier this month, Karachi Kings owner Salman Iqbal opened up during a podcast appearance on why the franchise released Babar in 2023, saying "When we made our line-up heavily reliant on our openers, we requested Babar Azam to bat at number three. But he was keen to play as an opener as he was established there and was not comfortable playing one-down. That's when the management decided to have a complete overhaul."
The former Pakistan skipper was asked about the general perception of him being unwilling to adapt himself to the demands of the team, on the sidelines of a practice session with Peshawar Zalmi during the ongoing Pakistan Super League.
Babar Azam: I have played at every number
"As much as I have shuffled my number, no one else has done," he claimed. "Whoever has come in, Babar changed his number, Babar played below. When someone new came down the order, Babar went back to the top. For me, Pakistan comes first. Pakistan first, after that the franchise. When it was the franchise's demand, I opened. Whatever Pakistan demands, I do. There is no personal goal for me here.
"It's not that I say I want to bat at a particular number or otherwise I won't play. Whatever the demand of the team is, that matters for me. As I said before, no one would have shuffled as much as me. I have also opened in Tests, you know? I have opened everywhere. I started at No.6, then from No.6 to No.3 then to No.2, No.1.
"So I have played at every number and come this far [in my career]. It has never mattered to me, that batting at a different number makes a difference to my performances. Whatever the team requires, I am always available."
How much has Babar Azam's batting position changed?
For Karachi Kings, Babar batted 12 times at No.3 and No.4, but the last of those innings came in 2018. Between 2019 and 2022, he batted exclusively at the top of the order. Since moving to Peshawar Zalmi, all 28 of his PSL innings have been as an opener.
In Test cricket, he has batted at every position from opening to No.7. In T20Is, Babar has opened in 87 out of 121 innings and in ODIs, has batted at No.3 107 out of 128 times.
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