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Babar Azam On The Cusp Of Registering His Worst Average In A Calendar Year Across Formats

Babar Azam-(X.com)Babar Azam-(X.com)

On September 12, the inaugural edition of PCB's newly launched List A tournament Champions One Day Cup kickstarted in Faisalabad. Five teams are competing in this tournament, which features the likes of Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi, and Mohammad Rizwan. 

It is a crucial tournament for the senior members of the Pakistan cricket team, which is at its lowest point. Thus, this article will analyse why Babar Azam must bring out his 'A' game in the Champions One-Day Cup. 

Decoding Babar's Purple Patch

Babar is going through a major slump with the bat in recent times. With just three months left in 2024, the white-ball skipper is on course to register his worst performance in a calendar year. Notably, in 2024, Babar has amassed just 773 runs in 22 matches across formats, his worst performance since his international debut in 2015. 

Talking about average, then the right-hand batter averages just 33.60. Comparing the last three years, Babar averaged 54 in 2022, his form dipped to 39.9 in 2023. Not just with the bat, but Babar is also under the scanner for his captaincy. 

A Look At Babar's Average Since His International Debut

YearRuns Average
201523038.33
2016106350.61
2017140842.66
2018168849.64
2019208257.83
202083569.58
2021176040.93
2022259854.12
2023
1399
39.97
202477333.60


Babar Azam's Performance As Captain

After an early exit from the ODI World Cup 2023, Babar stepped down as the captain, but the PCB reinstated him as a white-ball skipper right in time for the T20 World Cup. However, the move backfired as Pakistan suffered an early exit from the elite T20 tournament.

Thus, Babar needs to perform in the Champions Cup as he must arrive at the Champions Trophy with confidence as a captain and a batter. The No.1 ranked ODI batter has started the List A tournament on a positive note with a 76-run knock in his first match.

Pakistan's Upcoming International Schedule

Pakistan will play four series before the end of the year (England, Australia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa). Thus, Babar would look to score runs there and turn the embarrassing year into a decent one with good finish.