The last few months have not been smooth on one of the classical batters of Pakistan cricket, Babar Azam, who hasn’t got runs in any format of the game recently. The right-handed batter struggled in the recently concluded T20 World Cup 2024, where he could manage only 122 runs in four games at a strike rate of just over 100.
Under the captaincy of Babar Azam, the Green Brigade was eliminated from the group stage of the 20-over tournament. The hope was to see him getting back in the runs during their two-match Test series at home against Bangladesh, but the same poor form continued in both the games at Rawalpindi.
The Lahore-born had an unfortunate dismissal in the very first game innings of the series, where he got an edge down the leg side before a few lazy shots and a break of concentration got the better of him. In the two games, the former red-ball captain could collect only 64 runs in four innings at an average of 64 with a best score of just 31.
“No technical issue, Babar Azam has been under pressure”- Hasan Raza
The former Pakistan batter, Hasan Raza, who made his Test debut at the age of 14, has claimed that Babar Azam had not been going through any technical issues but was under pressure, which is the reason behind his struggles in recent times.
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Since the first Test match against New Zealand at Karachi in December 2022, the veteran hasn’t got a single fifty in the next eight red-ball games, as the most runs he scored across the two innings was 51 against the Kiwis in 2022.
Raza feels that Azam had been under pressure at the moment, and people should not blame the classic batters like him due to his low strike rate.
“Has been brought under pressure. Babar Azam is the only world-class player in that side. After Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan, there haven’t been many such classical players.” The 42-year-old expressed this during an interview with Pakistan’s journalist Arfa Feroz Zake, who has shared the interview on ‘X’ (formerly known as Twitter). “People have started to blame how the strike rates have gone down. See, the best batters are always technically correct. They play the ball on the ground.”
He also looked back to the past when the fans used to call the former captain Misbah-ul-Haq ‘the tuk-tuk’ batter but reminded them that the former captain had broken the record of the fastest Test fifty against Australia in 2014.
“Even though Misbah-ul-Haq was in his playing days, they used to address him as a ‘tuk-tuk’ player. He has broken the record of the fastest Test fifty of the legendary Vivian Richards in Abu Dhabi.” The veteran remarked. “So, these things keep on happening. But, you have put him (Babar Azam) under pressure and his confidence has gone now so much.”
The Karachi-born shed light on how there had been so many young players doing well at a young age, besides advising the PCB to develop their grassroots cricket.
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“There have been many young players in the country, who have scored centuries at an age of 27-28, and that too in Test cricket.” Hasan Raza claimed. “So, in my view, Pakistan cricket needs to develop their grassroots cricket, and also look to give confidence to their key players. That’s why. Babar Azam has been under pressure and runs are not coming.”
The coming four weeks will be a vital break for the batter, who will try his best to be back in form during their late-autumn series against England.