Babar Azam urges Pakistan middle-order to step up after crushing loss to England in 6th T20I

England tour of Pakistan: Babar Azam conceded that Pakistan's middle-order needs work after his 87 went in vain in the 6th T20I in Lahore. Pakistan's middle-order batters have struggled to get going in the series.

Pakistan captain Babar Azam expressed his disappointment at the middle-order's performances in the ongoing 7-match T20I series against England. Babar urged the middle-order to step up and take more responsibility after the hosts failed to make use of a good start in Lahore on Friday, September 30.

Babar Azam did the bulk of the work with the bat after Mohammad Rizwan was rested for the 6th T20I against England. Babar scored 87 off just 59 balls, steering the Pakistan batting order even as he kept losing partners at regular intervals. Iftikhar Ahmed showed flashes of brilliance in his 21-ball 31 but there was hardly any other significant contribution from the rest of the batting unit.

Pakistan vs England, 6th T20I Highlights

Pakistan managed to post 169 on the board but it was not even remotely enough as England chased down the target with 39 deliveries to spare. Phil Salt and Alex Hales took the attack to Pakistan's new-ball bowlers, stitching a 55-run stand in just 3.5 overs. Salt continued the onslaught and hit 88 not out in just 41 balls as England leveled the series 3-3 with an emphatic 8-wicket win.

"I think the middle-order needs to step up, they need to take responsibility. As openers, we need to build partnerships to not put the pressure on them," Babar said after the 8-wicket loss.

Pakistan's middle-order has been a big area of concern ever since the start of the Asia Cup. While Babar Azam (281) and Mohammad Rizwan (315 in 5 matches) have done the bulk of the scoring, the likes of Shan Masood (100 in 5 matches), Iftikhar Ahmed (80 in 6 matches), Khushdil Shah (36 in 4 matches) and Haider Ali (36 in 5 matches) haven't really stepped up.