Babar Azam’s Form Slump: Pakistan’s Worries Grow After Bangladesh Series

On Monday, September 2, Babar Azam concluded his Test series against Bangladesh with an innings of just 11 runs. When Pakistan needed him most, Babar, who was playing in the second innings of the last Test match, did not perform well. For the former captain of Pakistan, who is still having trouble in international cricket, this is a terrible series.

Babar’s four innings against Bangladesh yielded just 64 runs. In the first Test match, he almost got a pair but Litton Das dropped him for a golden duck in the second innings. Babar was out of the game three times by pacers and once by spinner Shakib Al Hasan in this series. His demise in this series was partly caused by his propensity to edge the ball behind the wicket on both sides.

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Since December 2022, the senior batter has not reached the century mark. In actuality, in the red-ball format, this was Babar’s 16th innings without a single fifty. Salman Agha, Pakistan’s batting all-rounder, defended Babar amid growing criticism by saying that it is important to remember how many runs he has scored in the previous five years.

Pakistan’s domestic performance has been reflected in Babar’s bad form. Pakistan suffered their first-ever Test defeat to the Tigers when they fell to Bangladesh by a margin of 10 wickets in the opening Test match. Pakistan had Bangladesh reeling at 26/6 in the second Test match, but they let the chance pass them by. Bangladesh was able to seize control of the second Test at Rawalpindi because to the valiant collaboration of Litton Das and Mehidy Hasan Miraz.

Pakistan has been increasingly concerned about Babar Azam’s form over the past few years. He hasn’t contributed much at the batting since Pakistan’s dismal 2023 ODI World Cup campaign. There are worries that things might get worse because there have been several changes in team management and leadership.

The veteran player should take a break, regroup, and rejoin the national squad, according to experts. Babar hasn’t said that he plans to go this route, though. In the next six months, Pakistan will host the Champions Trophy, and the squad is hoping that Babar will be back to full strength by then.