Aggression instead of timidness: Past mistakes Babar should rectify to save his Test career

Mistakes Babar needs to rectify [Source: AFP Photo]

Babar Azam is back in the Pakistan Test squad for the series against South Africa, and the star batter will be relieved after his latest Asia Cup snub. The batter was overlooked for the marquee event, but he was drafted into the Test team, and now Babar has a chance to redeem himself in red-ball cricket.

However, despite getting back in the Pakistan squad, Babar needs to be careful, as one poor series and the selectors won’t hesitate to drop him from red-ball cricket as well. In the past, he has made several Test mistakes, and he needs to rectify them during the Test series against South Africa. Here are 3 mistakes Babar needs to avoid to have a successful series.

1) Needs to adapt aggressive approach

Test cricket is all about patience, but it is also about seizing opportunities whenever they arise. Babar’s main issue is that he is timid in his Test batting approach, and often the opposition bowlers exploit it. In Pakistan, the curators generally dish out flat wickets, and despite it, Babar plays a slow brand of cricket.

On flat wickets, Babar needs to change his approach in the upcoming Test series, and whenever scoring opportunities come, he needs to play freely.

2) Wary of incoming delivery

Babar Azam clearly has a weakness against the deliveries that come back in and South Africa have Keshav Maharaj, who can exploit this weakness to perfection.

(PAK players with most bowled/lbw dismissals since 2023)

• This data was collected at the start of 2025, and up until then, Babar was the Pakistan batter with the most lbw/bowled dismissals since 2023. He had 22 such dismissals in 21 games, and he needs to rectify the same mistake.
• Keshav Maharaj has a brilliant arm ball, and he will certainly target an lbw dismissal as Babar tends to struggle against spinners.

Work on his stance

After the Champions Trophy game against New Zealand, where Babar struggled for runs, ex-India captain Sunil Gavaskar gave him great advice to work on his stance, and perhaps, Babar should listen to an expert to change his fortunes.

"If you ask me about technique, I'll just say one thing to Babar Azam. Right now, his stance is wide," Gavaskar said. "If he reduces the width between his legs (while standing at the crease) then he will get two advantages - He won't be uncomfortable moving front or back. Secondly, when you close the gap, your height increases. 

By doing so, Babar would have a better understanding of the bounce, and can tackle the ball better.

He hasn't worked on his technique much in the last few years, but with a Test place on the line, Babar needs to work on this mistake before and during the series.

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