Gurbaz credits pre-match chat with Babar for solid performance

KARACHI: Islamabad United batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz has credited the useful tips shared by Babar Azam before the game for his sensational knock against Peshawar Zalmi on Thursday.

Aghanistan’s Gurbaz struck a quickfire half-century and bolstered Islamabad United to thrash Peshawar Zalmi by six wickets in the 12th match of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) season eight.

He claimed that the pre-match chat with the Pakistan captain helped him a lot to change the way he used to bat.

“I changed one thing in my batting today. I also focused on some strike rotation. Before this, I just try to hit too hard but today my focus was also to play some good cricketing shots,” he said in a post-match press conference.

“I spoke to Babar before the match and asked about his mindset. He shared his experience with me and I applied that to my batting and it helped.”

“Earlier, I was just keen on hitting every ball but today I saw his (Babar’s) batting as well and observed how he rotates strike and hit boundaries,” he added.

The right-hander scored 62 in just 31 balls, smashing seven fours and four sixes, to put United in command before he was dismissed in the ninth over off Usman Qadir.

The 21-year-old also hailed the PSL for the quality it offers and claimed that he would share the experience with his teammates back home.

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