Pakistan’s Babar Azam (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

Pakistan star batter Babar Azam has had a tough T20 World Cup so far, managing just 66 runs in four matches with a modest strike rate. Because of this, he has been moved down the batting order from his usual opening slot to the middle order, a move that has sparked debate.Former South Africa captain Faf du Plessis has backed Pakistan head coach Mike Hesson’s decision, saying it makes sense given how fast modern T20 cricket has become. He pointed out that strike rates in the powerplay have increased massively, and batters now need to score at a much quicker pace.

“Look, I think first of all, all great players evolve their careers at different points in their careers. So someone like Babar, we have known him as one of the world’s best players for a very, very long time. I think the game of T20 cricket has moved so fast forward and towards strike rates that he’s found himself a little bit behind in terms of strike rates,” Du Plessis said.He added, “Looking at him in the last couple of years and certainly in the power play, the game has moved too fast, too forward, to be at a 120 strike rate. Now you need to be 160-190-200 plus for you to maximise that first six overs.”Despite this, Du Plessis believes Babar is still very valuable, especially on slower pitches where strike rotation is important. “So I think if you’re someone like Mike Hesson, what he’s trying to do is he’s trying to find the best way to introduce him into the game and on spinning pitches in the middle, that’s where someone like him is worth his gold,” he said.He also noted, “When you come to flat wickets, those kinds of roles these days are not as important anymore… So I can imagine he almost looked at how I can maximise the best out of Babar Azam.”