Babar Azam was vehemently defended by Pakistani all-rounder Salman Ali Agha, who shamelessly threw his teammates under the bus. This came after Babar Azam’s poor run of form with the bat in Tests continued.
After scoring a duck and 22 in the first Test between Pakistan and Bangladesh, Babar Azam fell for 31 runs in the first innings of the second Test. This match is also being played at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi.
Pakistan was restricted by Bangladesh to a mere 274 runs on day two of the second test after the first day was rained off. Bangladesh’s off-spinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz delivered an exceptional performance, claiming 5 wickets for just 61 runs.
For Pakistan, Saim Ayub, Shan Masood, and Salman Ali Agha made half-centuries.
“Babar Azam Is A World-Class Player”- Salman Ali Agha
Babar seemed a pale shadow of himself throughout the 31-run innings and was undone by an arm ball from Shakib Al Hasan. Despite Babar failing to achieve a half-century in the last 15 innings, his partner Agha Salman defended him.
In the press conference following the day’s play, Salman advised the reporter not to focus solely on Babar and the other ten players. He encouraged the 29-year-old to recover his form. Salman Agha has reminded the critics of Babar’s contributions to Pakistan, saying it cannot be overlooked and that it’s crucial to support him during this challenging time.
“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. As a cricketer, you have such phases in your life. There are 10 other players in the team, you should focus on them. It’s fine if he’s struggling. He will return to scoring big runs very soon,” Agha told reporters at the end of day one.
Babar’s latest fifty-plus score came against New Zealand in December 2022, when he struck 161 in Karachi. He performed poorly during his tours of Australia and Sri Lanka. His average has fallen below 45 as well.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh’s reply was completely lacklustre as at the end of day one, they were reduced to 26/6. Khurram Shahzad picked four wickets, while Mir Hamza took two scalps.
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