Former Pakistan cricketer Shoaib Akhtar criticised star batter Babar Azam for his slow and conservative knock against New Zealand in the ICC Champions Trophy opener, saying that the batter has “no intention to improve”. Babar’s sluggish approach in ODIs made headlines as he made a 90-ball 64 against NZ while chasing 321 in the Champions Trophy opener. His strike rate was extremely underwhelming at 71.11, leaving Pakistan 60 runs short of a win and their net run rate slipped to -1.20. Their next match against arch-rivals India on Sunday has become a virtual knockout.

Speaking in the post-match analysis show ‘Game On Hai’ as quoted by Wisden, Shoaib said, “Babar Azam has become the product he had to become; it is visible; what can I debate about it?. You saw it (against New Zealand). There is no intention to improve.”

“You cannot run a team by acting like Maula Jatt (violent Pakistani fictional character) – ‘Bring this, do this, do that’ etc. You’re not playing T20. You can play T20 cricket with T20 skills, but in longer formats you need awareness, intelligence and method as well. How do you create this package?”

“They used to teach us way back in the 80s and 90s in club cricket how to play run-a-ball. Even us tailenders knew that we have to play run-a-ball,” he concluded.

Babar’s knock of 64 in 90 balls, was his fifth-slowest 50-plus score in ODIs, with his slowest being an 86-ball fifty against NZ back in 2023. While Babar was no doubt at fault, he did not get much support from top order, who also played extremely conservative cricket, with Saud Shakeel (6 off 19), Mohammad Rizwan (3 off 14), and Fakhar Zaman (24 off 41) failing to fire. In the middle order, Salman Agha (42 in 28 balls, with six fours and a six) and Khusdil Shah (69 in 49 balls, with 10 fours and a six) did come good, but it was not enough as Pakistan was bundled out for 260 in 47.2 overs.

In contrast, Kiwis had well-made centuries from Will Young (107 in 113 balls, with 12 fours and a six) and Tom Latham (118 in 104 balls, with 10 fours and three sixes) and an explosive 61 in 39 balls by Glenn Phillips, which had three fours and four sixes.

In his last 10 ODIs, Babar has scored 354 runs in 10 innings at an average of 44.25, with a strike rate of over 76 and three fifties, with best score of 73. He has not scored an international ton since his century against Nepal in August 2023 during the Asia Cup.

Pakistan star batter Babar Azam has requested the media to “stop calling” him “King”. Notably, Babar is often referred to by that nickname as a sense of admiration for his performance in the game of cricket. He has played 59 Tests, 125 ODIs, and 128 T20Is for Pakistan, scoring 4235, 5990, and 4223 runs. “Please stop calling me King. I am not King, I am not there yet. There are new roles for me now. Whatever I have done before is in the past. Every match is a fresh challenge, and I must focus on the present and future,” Babar told media.

Babar’s request tothe  media comes amid the player’s below-par performance according to the high standards he has set for himself.

For me, he is @babarazam258 that we have, not the king Please, Babarians, stop calling him the king That king name will ruin his career #BabarAzam | #BabarAzam | #PAKvsSA pic.twitter.com/UzZpfLagUD

— Muhammad Zubair (@mzubair_56) February 13, 2025

Earlier, former Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed had spoken on how batting of openers Fakhar Zaman and Babar will help the hosts in their title defence at the upcoming Champions Trophy, which will start on February 19.

Notably, Pakistan won the Champions Trophy in 2017 by defeating India by 180 runs in the final at The Oval.

“Pakistan has a really good chance of defending that title and I think they have a strong team. Some of the boys from 2017 are still there and we are talking about some of the best – especially Babar Azam,” said Sarfaraz.

“He is a different Babar to the one that played in 2017, a more mature player and a dominant player in the game. His batting will be so important for Pakistan and so will Fakhar Zaman’s,” he added.

The India vs Pakistan blockbuster clash in the 2025 Champions Trophy is set to take palce at Dubai International Cricket Stadium on February 23. Sarfaraz pointed out that the players need to stay calm and perform without pressure during the match against their arch-rivals.

“Whenever we meet, it is a special occasion and there is so much hype and pressure around it. But as players, you need to stay calm, try and block that noise out, and just play with the same intensity as you would play Australia or any other team,” said the former batter.

Pakistan squad for Champions Trophy: Mohammad Rizwan (c), Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Tayyab Tahir, Faheem Ashraf, Khushdil Shah, Salman Ali Agha, Usman Khan, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi.

Pakista’s Champions Trophy fixtures: Against New Zealand (February 19 at Karachi), India (February 23 at Dubai), and Bangladesh (February 27 at Rawalpindi).

As Pakistan prepare for the final of the Tri-Nation ODI Series against New Zealand in Karachi, skipper Mohammad Rizwan has thrown his weight behind former captain Babar Azam, backing the star batter to rediscover his best form. While runs in Friday’s game would be valuable, the broader concern remains Babar’s long-term dip in form, which has seen his numbers drop across all formats. Babar’s numbers have taken a hit over the last year. His ODI form – traditionally his strongest format – has suffered a noticeable decline. Since the start of the 2023 Asia Cup, he has averaged 42.90 in 25 games, bringing his career average down from nearly 59 to the mid-50s. If his knock of 151 against Nepal is excluded, that average dips further below 38.

This series hasn’t reversed the trend. He managed just 10 runs in the opening game against New Zealand, his innings dragging through the Powerplay while Fakhar Zaman flourished at the other end. Even in Pakistan’s record chase of 353 against South Africa, Babar started well but was trapped in front for 23 by Wiaan Mulder. Rizwan, however, believes Babar is simply a victim of his own success.

“Babar has scored so many runs for Pakistan that we expect him to score a hundred in each game,” Rizwan was quoted by ESPNcricinfo as saying. “If we don’t judge him by those extreme expectations, you’ll find he’s still chipping in and contributing valuably for us.”

Pakistan’s wicketkeeper-batter admitted that Babar faces additional pressure due to his past exploits. While technical flaws haven’t been glaring, the scrutiny on his every innings has intensified. “As a captain, I expect a lot more of him too because of all he has done in the past,” Rizwan continued. “There is obviously an additional pressure because of it, and I’m sure he feels that too. But if you look at his innings in South Africa, he is still scoring runs. It’s not as if he has clear technical deficiencies, but he is still being tested. I am confident he’ll come out of it.”

Babar’s form conundrum has been compounded by his recent promotion to opener in ODIs – a role he hadn’t played in a decade. The experiment was prompted by Saim Ayub’s injury and Abdullah Shafique’s drastic loss of form. With the Champions Trophy looming, the jury is still out on whether Babar will continue at the top.

Rizwan explained the rationale behind the move: “When Abdullah Shafique got out early in South Africa, Babar had to deal with the new ball anyway. He was coping with the seam and swing and enabling us to attack at the end. So, we thought why not go for our most technically solid player to open, rather than throwing someone else in at the deep end.”

If Babar’s opening stint does not yield results, Rizwan is open to stepping up himself. “We have other players who can open if we need them to,” he said. “Saim Ayub was a huge all-round blow for us, including in the field, because he was one of our best fielders, opened the batting, and could bowl eight or so overs. His absence created a huge disturbance, and we went for the safety of Babar Azam, who’s our best batter.”

Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting has suggested former Pakistan skipper Babar Azam to replicate Virat Kohli’s approach in a bid to rejuvenate his lost form. Babar was rested for the last two Tests against England after his poor form. Pakistan won both matches and secured the series 2-1, the first under Shan Masood’s rein. In 55 Tests, Babar has scored 3,997 runs at an average of 43.92. However, he had not scored a Test half-century in 18 innings stretching back to late 2022 and has seen a dip in form in a year where he was made captain and then left the post after Pakistan suffered a group-stage exit in this year’s T20 World Cup in June.

“The biggest challenge is how they get Babar back into their side. They’ve got to find a way to get Babar back into form and back into their (Test) team,” Ponting said in the ICC Review.

Ponting went on to suggest that Babar should take some time away from the game to return recharged, the approach former India captain Kohli attempted to get himself back to form after a barren streak with bat.

Earlier this year, Kohli stepped away from the game during India’s home Test series against England citing personal reasons. After his return, he went on to play a match-winning knock against South Africa in the final of the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 – India’s first ICC trophy in 11 years.

In 2022, Kohli took a similar break and delivered breathtaking performances across the formats over the next 12 months after returning from a break. He went on to score his first international hundred since 2019 along with a match-winning knock against Pakistan in the ICC T20 World Cup 2022, and a golden run in the ODI World Cup 2023 at home, scoring a record 765 runs and was named Player of the Tournament.

“You know, when you look at (Babar’s) numbers, it’s been a bit like the stuff that we were talking about with Virat Kohli earlier on. Sometimes – and I think Virat was on record saying this – that little bit of a break that he had, he took himself away from the game for a while to freshen up and sort out some things that he needed to sort out.

“This might be exactly what Babar needs. Maybe Babar needs to get away for a while and stop trying too hard. Lock the kit bag away for a while, and think about something else and then hopefully come back recharged, because we know at his best he’s as good as anyone going around. Hopefully, we get to see that in the back half of his career again,” Ponting said.

Pakistan Test skipper Shan Masood showered praise on Babar Azam and called him one of the best batsmen in the world. Babar is going through a lean patch in Tests. In his last nine Tests and 17 innings, he has scored just 352 innings at an average of 20.71, with his best score being 41. In 55 Tests, Babar has scored 3,997 runs at an average of 43,92, with nine centuries and 26 fifties and best score of 196. Pakistan announced 15-member squads for white-ball series tours to Australia and Zimbabwe starting from November 4 onwards, with star batter Babar Azam being rested from the Zimbabwe tour and set to play in Australia.

Masood said that nobody can say that Babar doesn’t have a future. The Pakistan Test skipper added that Babar has all the qualities to become “one of the greatest batsmen” in the long format.

“I think he’s one of the best batsmen in the world. I’m nobody to [say he doesn’t have] a future. He has every quality to be one of the greatest batsmen in Test cricket. He’s always there or thereabouts in the rankings. Sometimes, people need a break,” Masood was quoted by ESPNcricinfo as saying.

Masood said that this break would benefit the 30-year-old and he will comeback as a stronger player.

“I think this break will do him a great deal of benefit and he’ll come back a stronger player,” Masood said. “There’s no harm in being pulled out at times and having a breather. He’s played a lot of cricket and gone through a lot, and he’ll always be one of the main batsmen to play for Pakistan,” he added.

At the beginning of last month, Babar submitted his resignation as Pakistan men’s white-ball captain, which was accepted by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

Last week, ahead of Pakistan’s limited-overs tours of Australia and Zimbabwe, the PCB announced wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan as Pakistan’s new white-ball skipper with Salman Ali Agha as vice-captain.

Pakistan arrived in Australia earlier this week ahead of the first ODI, which will begin on Monday at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground.

File photo of Babar Azam.© AFP

Pakistan batter Babar Azam is going through a poor run of form, especially in Test cricket. He has failed to register any fifty in his last 14 Test innings. It was in December 2022 when Babar hit 161 against New Zealand in a Test in Karachi but since then he has struggled to get runs under his belt. He scored only 289 runs in the last 14 innings at an average of 20.64. In the two innings of the first Test against Bangladesh, Babar scored 0 and 22. The fans on social media lashed out at the former Pakistan captain for his failure.

Here are some of the reactions –

After surviving at duck Babar Azam got out on 22.

Zimbabar for a reason!!#PAKvsBAN pic.twitter.com/M7iRlKbMlr

— abhay singh (@abhaysingh_13) August 25, 2024

Babar azam https://t.co/se44xMTfSn

— dopamine (@faisalnazir_) August 25, 2024

Babar Azam’s recent Test innings have been a struggle:

22, 0, 23, 26, 41, 1, 14, 21, 39, 24, 13, 27, 24, 14.

A challenging run for the star batter from bottom.#BabarAzam pic.twitter.com/88RKZFSZ5k

— Sagar Lohatkar (@sagarlohatkar) August 25, 2024

Bangladesh scripted history on Sunday as the side registered its first-ever Test win over Pakistan. The Bangla Tigers handed a 10-wicket defeat to Shan Masood and co. to register the massive first in their cricket history.

“Never to make an excuse, it (the pitch) didn’t play the way we thought it would. Also the weather it had been around in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, it rained around 8-9 days before the first day of play. Firstly looking at the pitch, we expected it to do a bit more. With three pace bowlers, they were gonna be pushed to the limit. At the end of the day, we got it wrong,” said Pakistan captain Masood after the loss.

After getting an invitation to bat first, Pakistan declared their first innings at the score of 448 for 6. The decision played a big role in their defeat in the game.

“Hindsight, looking at the declaration, we wanted to push the game forward. Also with the ball and in the field, we could have done better to keep them at par. It’s a misconception, with the way it was going to take a lot. When you are playing for a draw, funny things can happen. A lot can happen under pressure. There have been mistakes and we have to do better when we play next. 

“It’s a huge lesson for us on what to expect from our own conditions. The key is to consider the conditions and not make the same mistakes we have made here,” Masood added.

Rohit Sharma was in tremendous form vs Australia in T20 World Cup© AFP

After allegations of spot-fixing and match-fixing against the Pakistan cricket team surfaced online, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has asked those making such claims to come up with “proof”. The board also said that a legal action will be taken against the ones if any allegation is made without any proof. The statement from PCB was not official as Cricket Pakistan quoted a source from the governing body. While the source confirmed that the PCB is aware of the “negative comments”, it termed the accusations as “baseless”. It is worth noting that such allegations against the Babar Azam and Co. are surfacing after their early exit from T20 World Cup 2024.

“We are fully aware of these negative comments. Criticism within the bounds of the game is acceptable and there is no objection to it. However, baseless allegations like match-fixing cannot be tolerated under any circumstances,” said a PCB source as quoted by the Pakistan-based news organisation.

The news outlet also asked if the board would conduct an investigation while responding to the claims.

“PCB has no doubts, so why should we conduct an inquiry? Those who made the allegations should provide proof. We have instructed our legal department to issue notices to such individuals and demand evidence. If not provided, we will seek compensation for defamation. A new law in Punjab ensures that a decision will come within six months,” the sources added.

After Pakistan’s T20 World Cup 2024 group stage exit, former cricketers and administrators have been quite aggressive in criticising the Babar Azam-led side.

From poor fitness to lack of intent, every aspect of Pakistan is under the scanner after the 2022 T20 World Cup runners-up were knocked out from the group stage. Pakistan’s campaign started with two losses against T20 World Cup debutants USA  and former champions India. They could never recover from those losses despite winning the last two matches. 

A senior journalist Mubashir Lucman raised a serious allegation against Babar, which concerns the Pakistan captain being gifted a costly car. Babar was gifted an Audi e-Tron GT by his elder brother late last year. In India, the approximate cost of the car is about INR 2 crore while in Pakistan currency it’s more than double.

The journalist said in video, which has gone viral, “Babar Azam has got new e-Tron. He has said his brother gifted it. I wondered what does his brother do that he is gifting a Rs 7-8 crore car. I found out that he does nothing. Then somebody told me that if you lose to small teams, even then you will not get plots, cars then who will get? I told the person that these are serious allegation. He told me everyone knows who is doing what.”

The video drew mixed response with some users saying that people are trying to defame the Pakistan team.

The captaincy of the Pakistan cricket team has been in spotlight in the past six months or so. It first hogged limelight when Babar Azam stepped down from his role as Pakistan skipper across formats following the team’s poor campaign in Cricket World Cup 2023. After this Shan Masood was appointed as the Test captain of Pakistan and Shaheen Afridi was handed the responsibility to lead the team in the T20I format. Shaheen could stay in the role only for one series. It was a five-match contest against New Zealand that Pakistan lost 4-1 and Shaheen was sacked as the T20I captain with Babar Azam replacing him in the role.

Babar led Pakistan to a 2-1 series win before the side came up against England in a four-match T20I series that is currently underway.

Despite several rumours about a rift between Shaheen and Babar, things looked good in the Pakistan camp. However, a recent report has re-ignited the cliams.

Shaheen refused to take up the role of Pakistan vice-captain in the T20I format ahead of the upcoming World Cup in USA and West Indies, stated a report in ESPNcricinfo.

Pakistan on May 24 announced the squad for T20 World Cup 2024 and surprisingly, no one was assigned the position of vice-captain.

Pakistan squad for T20 World Cup: Babar Azam (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Rizwan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan.

Player support personnel: Wahab Riaz (senior team manager), Mansoor Rana (team manager), Gary Kirsten (head coach), Azhar Mahmood (assistant coach), Simon Helmot (fielding coach), David Reid (mental performance coach), Aftab Khan (high performance coach), Cliffe Deacon (physiotherapist), Irtaza Komail (chief security officer), Mohammad Imran (masseur), Mohammad Khurram Sarwar (team doctor), Talha Ijaz (analyst), Raza Kitchlew (media and digital manager) and Drikus Saaiman (strength and conditioning coach).