Pakistan captain Babar Azam took a cheeky dig at his critics after scoring a sensational century against New Zealand during the second T20I at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.
Azam scored 101 runs in 58 balls, with the help of 11 fours and three sixes, at a strike-rate of 174.13 which helped his side take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.
After the match, presenter Zainab Abbas questioned Azam about whether his animated celebration was aimed at the “strike-rate brigade”.
"You can say that," chuckled Babar while responding to the aforementioned question.
"But I don't keep these types of things in my mind. I play according to the situation and build my innings according to the team’s requirement," he added.
Azam also said that his priority is to win matches for Pakistan instead of focusing on personal milestones.
"I'm not too worried about personal milestones. I'm focused on performing in a way that I can help my team win. The team comes first and then milestones," he said. "From an individual point of view, you can say this was a special hundred."
It must be noted that Pakistan won the second T20I by 38 runs courtesy Azam’s brilliance with the bat and pacer Haris Rauf’s four-wicket haul.
Chasing a target of 193 runs, the Kiwis were restricted to 154-7 in 20 overs.
Eight Kiwis are missing because of the Indian Premier League (IPL) and skipper Kane Williamson has a bad knee injury, leaving the captaincy to batsman Tom Latham — and providing plenty of opportunity for newcomers to shine.
The remaining three T20 matches are on April 17 in Lahore, and 20 and 24 in Rawalpindi.
Pakistan and New Zealand will also meet in five one-day internationals after the T20 series, honing preparations for this year´s 50-over World Cup in India.
The tour comes as something of compensation for New Zealand pulling out of their visit to Pakistan on the day of the first game in September 2021, citing security concerns.
The Black Caps played two Tests and three ODIs in Pakistan just three months ago.
- Babar Azam