Babar Azam’s poor run of form in Test cricket these days has been a major point of concern for the Pakistan men’s cricket team. The former Pakistan skipper’s last big score in a Test came in December 2022 when he played a fine knock of 161 runs against New Zealand. In his last 16 innings, Babar has not managed to score a half-century. Overall, in 54 Tests, Babar has 3,962 runs to his name at an average of 44.51.
While many experts and former cricketers have slammed Babar for his dismal form, all-rounder Salman Ali Agha recently threw his weight behind the ex-Pakistan captain. Ali Agha even referred to Babar as a “world-class player.”
Speaking at a press conference following the end of the first day’s play in the second Test against Sri Lanka, Salman said, “Babar Azam is a world-class player. As a cricketer, you go through these phases. He has scored consistently throughout the last five years. Soon, we will see him scoring big runs for Pakistan again.”
He added, “As a cricketer, you have such phases in your life. There are 10 other players in the team, so you should focus on them. It’s fine if he’s struggling. He will return to scoring big runs very soon.”
Babar, who is Pakistan’s highest-ranked batter in Tests, was dismissed for a duck in the first innings of the Test series opener against their Asian counterparts in Rawalpindi last month. In the second inning of that game, he managed to score 22 runs. Bangladesh had won the first Test by a convincing margin of 10 wickets to claim their maiden red-ball win against Pakistan.
In the ongoing second Test, Azam scored 31 runs in the first inning and got out for 11 runs on Monday in the second inning. Skipper Shan Masood played a vital knock of 57 to guide the hosts to a formidable total of 274. Pakistan’s Khurram Shahzad registered a six-wicket haul in the first inning to bowl out the visitors for 262. A victory in the second fixture will guide Bangladesh to a remarkable Test series win against Pakistan.
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