The Peshawar Zalmi captain batted with a strike rate of 90 against Multan Sultans.
While Zalmi emerged victorious by 24 runs after posting a total of 196/6 in 20 overs, with other batters scoring at a higher pace, Babar once again came under the scanner for his underwhelming strike rate.
Opening the innings, the right-hander managed to score 18 off 20 balls with one six. His strike rate of 90 drew him severe backlash on social media and his tactic was also questioned in the post-match presser.
However, Babar was visibly annoyed by the questioning and argued that playing differently at various positions, reading the scoreboard, and adapting to the pitch are more crucial than creating fuss over strike rate.
"You have to play differently at different numbers. At that time, what kind of guard to play, you also have to look at the score board, and the strike rate also creates a lot of fuss. My belief is that you first have to assess the conditions," Babar told reporters
He mentioned that not every day allows for free-flowing shots. "You have to assess that every day the wicket is not the same. Every day you cannot play the same way," the Zalmi captain added.
Babar noted that sometimes you have to work hard for runs rather than relying on an immediate, explosive start.
"You will face challenges, the opposition team also comes having done their homework, you cannot hit your preferred shots freely (aap muhh utha ke shots nahi maar sakte). On one good day things will click, otherwise you have to work (hard) for it," he remarked.
Chasing 197, Multan Sultans were restricted to 172/8, despite top-scoring efforts from Shan Masood (35), Josh Philippe (32), and Steve Smith (31). Sufiyan Muqeem starred with the ball for Zalmi, returning with figures of 3/30 in four overs.