“There was no intent, he didn’t even try” – Danish Kaneria disgusted with Babar Azam’s 79 off 114 balls in PAK vs NZ 2nd ODI

Danish Kaneria sounded disgusted with Pakistan captain Babar Azam’s slow innings in the second ODI against New Zealand in Karachi on Wednesday, January 11.

The former Pakistan cricketer questioned Babar’s intent for his 79 off 114 balls that came in a losing cause. He feels that the skipper was playing for his individual landmark and not in the larger interest of his team.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Kaneria said:

“Babar Azam is the team’s captain. His duty is to win games and not just focus on his own runs. There was no intent, he didn’t even try. Agha Salman showed intent but lost his wicket. Babar scored his own runs before getting dismissed, which is why Pakistan lost.”

He continued:

“Babar Azam scored runs, but what’s the use if it can’t help your team win? He played very slowly. Babar took 114 balls to score 79 runs.”

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Babar Azam’s 79 goes in vain as Pakistan lost by 79 runs

Chasing 262, Pakistan were bundled out for 182 in the second ODI against New Zealand. Besides Babar, Mohammed Rizwan scored 28 off 50 balls, while Agha Salman contributed 25 off 22 deliveries. The other Pakistani batters, however, failed to step up to the challenge.

Tim Southee and Ish Sodhi took a couple of wickets each for New Zealand, while Lockie Ferguson, Mitchell Santner, Michael Bracewell and Glenn Phillips took one wicket apiece.

Earlier, Kane Williamson and Co. won the toss and scored 261 in 49.5 overs. Opener Devon Conway hit a century, scoring 101 off 92 balls, including a maximum and 13 fours. Captain Williamson scored a pivotal knock of 85 runs, while Mitchell Santner (37) provided a late blitz to take the team to a fighting total.

Mohammad Nawaz took four wickets, while Naseem Shah bagged three. Haris Rauf and Usama Mir took one wicket apiece.

The two teams will now lock horns in the ODI series decider on Friday, January 13.