Former Pakistan captain Babar Azam has made it clear that he has no intention of stepping away from any format of the game, insisting that it is not a player’s role to decide what to skip but to be ready to play whenever required.
The Peshawar Zalmi skipper, who led his side to a last-ball win over Hyderabad Kingsmen, appeared visibly frustrated when asked about his ability to finish games in comparison to Kohli.
Babar Azam's omission follows mounting criticism from former cricketers after Pakistan’s early World Cup exit, with some suggesting he take a long-term break from white-ball cricket.
India and Pakistan have met eight times in the T20 World Cup so far, with India winning seven of those encounters, while Pakistan have managed just a solitary victory in 2021.
Both openers were dismissed as Pakistan tightened the screws, reducing the Netherlands to 50 for 2 at the end of six overs.
Pakistan faced a crushing nine-wicket defeat at the hands of New Zealand in a T20I Tri-series match here on Tuesday
Shanaka added that the MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings (CSK) had lifted the IPL 2021 trophy despite losing the toss to Kolkata Knight Riders, and there were ample lessons from that contest to not be disheartened when Pakistan won the toss.
A prolific white-ball cricket run-scorer, he will be seen in action during the upcoming Asia Cup, where Pakistan will face arch-rivals India on August 28 in Dubai.
With nine down and the score reading only 148, Sri Lanka looked set to gain a healthy lead but Babar Azam stitched a valuable stand of 70 for the last wicket with Naseem Shah, who scored just five runs off 52 balls.
Babar achieved the landmark during his unbeaten knock of 34 off 72 balls in Pakistan's first innings against Sri Lanka during the first Test at Galle International Stadium.
