Pakistan star Babar Azam he once again found himself in the spotlight for his much-discussed strike rate. Former Australia captain Michael Clarke criticized the right-handed batsman for his batting performance in the first Qualifier between Peshawar Zalmi and Multan Sultans in the ongoing PSL 2024.

The Sultans defeated Zalmi by seven wickets to reach the final. Batting first, Zalmi scored 146 for 7 in the allotted 20 overs. With Saim Ayub departing for just 1 in the first over, Babar Azam decided to be cautious. Zalmi’s number 3 batsman Mohammad Haris helped his team reach 50 in six overs by smashing 22 off just 14 balls, while Babar Azam decided to play second fiddle.

In the 14th over, Zalmi crossed the 100-run mark, and with their captain still at the crease, they would have expected him to convert his start into a big score and guide them to a big total. However, Babar failed to finish strongly and departed after scoring 46 runs off 42 balls.

Michael Clarke criticizes Babar Azam:

While Babar Azam was his team’s top scorer, that didn’t stop Michael Clarke from criticizing him. The former World Cup-winning captain of Australia did not mince his words when commenting that Babar Azam’s dismissal was a good thing for Zalmi.

“Very rarely do you say that it is good that Babar comes out. You never want him to go out because he is an absolute class player. He’s been in great shape. But maybe the extra power here, the search for limits, I think that’s where they are now. I think they have to try a little harder and I think they have to risk everything to try to surpass that 170 mark.” Clarke said.

Look:

Michael Clarke on Babar pic.twitter.com/RuyVXfEqtn

– Bravo 2.0 (@MrCricket183) March 14, 2024

Talking about the Sultans’ innings, they reached the total in 18.3 overs. Opener Yasir Khan starred with the bat for the Sultans, scoring 54 off 37 balls, while Usman Khan (36*) and Iftikhar Ahmed (22* off 8) also played crucial knocks. Zalmi will now play the winner of the Playoff between Islamabad United and Quetta Gladiators in the second qualifier for a place in the final.