DUBAI: A serious purpose why Pakistan are floundering within the ICC tournaments in recent times, and are being overwhelmed by arch-rivals India constantly, is the regular decline of Babar Azam, as soon as their premier batter.
Having made his debut towards Zimbabwe in Lahore in Could 2015, Babar, then simply 22, introduced his tremendous expertise to the world when he cracked three consecutive centuries towards West Indies in UAE in Sept-Oct 2016. Carrying on that preliminary promise, Babar scored 100 towards Australia at Adelaide after which a number of extra towards West Indies and Sri Lanka. Within the 2019 World Cup, whereas Pakistan crashed out within the league stage, Babar’s performance-474 runs in eight matches@67.71, with three fifties and 100, stood out.
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Contemplating the starvation for runs and the fervour for the sport that he displayed, there have been a number of comparisons with India’s legend-in-making Virat Kohli, who was by the way Babar’s hero. Many even felt he would go on to change into Pakistan’s greatest-ever batsman.
His excessive level got here towards India in a gaggle match of the 2021 T20 World Cup in October, when captaining the facet, Babar, whereas sharing a 152-run unbeaten stand with fellow opener Mohammed Rizwan, scored a elegant 68 not out off 52 balls to form Pakistan’s crushing 10-wicket win on the Dubai Worldwide Stadium right here.
From then on, although, it has been a narrative of diminishing returns for the previous Pakistan captain- hailed as soon as because the ‘King’, Babar’s returns have been that of a pauper of late.
Though he nonetheless possesses a superb record-6106 runs at common of 55.50 in 128 ODIs, with 19 centuries and 35 fifties, the 30-year-old has did not ship in recent times, particularly in main tournaments. The off-colour batter’s final ODI century got here way back to Aug 30, 2023 within the Asia Cup-a 151 towards Nepal at Multan-23 innings have handed since then.
In his 26 Take a look at innings, Babar has scored solely two half-centuries, whereas within the T20Is, his final half-century (75) got here 11 matches in the past towards Eire in Could 2024. In opposition to large rivals India, all Babar has managed to attain is 241 runs in 9 matches@30.12, with a prime rating of 50.
In Pakistan, the criticism from the previous gamers towards him has been scathing, and at instances, crass-on a TV present submit his newest failure-a 26-ball 23 towards India within the 2025 Champions Trophy, approaching the again of a laboured 90-ball 64 whereas chasing 321 towards New Zealand at Karachi-Pakistan tempo bowling nice Shoaib Akhtar went to the extent of calling him a “fraud.”
“We regularly hear comparisons between Babar Azam and Virat Kohli. However let me ask you, who’s Virat Kohli’s hero? It is Sachin Tendulkar, who has scored a outstanding 100 centuries, and Virat is now aiming to observe in his footsteps. So, who’s Babar Azam’s hero? Let’s not identify any cricketer,” he remarked in the course of the TV present.
Maybe, the under-fire batter may do with a useful piece of recommendation provided by India’s cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar.
Whereas speaking in a video on Basit Ali’s YouTube channel, Gavaskar mentioned, “Should you ask me, I’ll inform Babar only one factor. Proper now, his stance is sort of unfold out. If he can cut back the width between his ft, then two issues will occur: one, when your ft are unfold out, you then face issue occurring the backfoot and frontfoot, however when you find yourself extra balanced (with ft much less extensive), you then additionally achieve a little bit of peak, when you are a bit down with ft unfold out. So, you possibly can decide the bounce and motion of the ball a bit higher when you find yourself extra upright. And a gap batsman wants that peak.”
“If he tries to do that, then I consider that the run-making skill he used to have will return, and the entire world will take pleasure in that, not simply the Pakistanis…the entire world needs to see him play pictures just like the flick by means of the mid-wicket he produced (within the match towards India.”
Slamming Pakistani followers for criticising Babar for his poor kind, former India opener Navjot Singh Sidhu, whereas defending Babar, demanded respect for the participant Babar Azam, drawing comparisons to a younger Kohli’s struggles early in his profession.
Sidhu mentioned, “He has made runs for you and can play for you for a very long time. Be taught to respect him. Do not simply stand afar and throw stones at him.”
Whereas stalwarts from India have been kinder on Babar, one of many few voices in Pakistan who’re softer on the struggling batter, and prepared to assist him is that of “Somebody has to speak to Babar. It is unhappy the nice expertise like Babar is getting wasted,” mentioned Pakistan’s legendary batter Mohammed Yousuf.
Declaring a technical flaw in his batting towards the spinners, which the batter is discovering it onerous to resolve, Yousuf mentioned on a TV present just lately, “Babar’s approach has an issue: Javed Miandad and Zaheer Abbas used to play sweep pictures towards the spinners. They even went down the wicket to hit them for fours and sixes. Babar cannot play the sweep and reverse sweep pictures. He’s not capable of go down the observe towards the spinner and is getting caught. His leg goes throughout.”
