Babar Azam under fire: SL bowlers who could pose threat to out-of-form PAK ace in ODI series

Players who could trouble Babar [Source: AFP Photo]

The Pakistan vs South Africa series is done and dusted, and now the focus shifts to the Asian rivalry as hosts Pakistan take on Sri Lanka in a 3-match ODI series starting on Tuesday, November 11. The home side defeated the Proteas in a close-fought ODI contests, and expect something on similar lines when the two Asian giants collide.

For Pakistan, their batters struggled a bit against the Proteas attack, including Babar Azam. The star batter looked out of touch as he failed to deliver the goods in the three-match series. He will once again be under pressure as the Sri Lankan bowlers will have their plans ready against him.

Here are the Lankan bowlers, who could wreak havoc against the out-of-form Pakistan batter, Babar.

1) Wanindu Hasaranga

Even though Babar has a solid record against Wanindu Hasaranga, Sri Lanka’s premium spin-bowler, but in the last couple of years, he has struggled against quality spinners and could face a hard time against Hasaranga.

Even in the Test and the ODI series against South Africa, Babar struggled against spin-bowlers and he could meet. the same fate against Hasaranga, as his record against right-arm leg-break bowlers are not quite good in the last couple of years.

Babar vs leg-break bowlers in 2024)

• While his overall record against leg-break bowlers is outstanding, but last year, he struggled against them and had a dot ball percentage of 68, showcasing his vulnerability against them.
• Babar Azam has a weakness when the ball drifts back in as the bowler traps him lbw. Hasaranga could potentially exploit the same weakness as not only does the Sri Lankan star has a brilliant leg-break, but can also drift the ball back in with his googly to dismiss Babar.

2) Dushmantha Chameera

The Sri Lankan pacer’s career has been marred with injuries, but when fit, he is one of the best in the business. A lanky bowler, Chameera can exploit the early moisture in Rawalpindi with his swing bowling and could be Babar’s biggest threat, even bigger than Hasaranga.

In 2025, Babar has struggled against right-arm pace bowlers and the stats tell the story as Chameera will be a big threat for him.

(Babar against right-arm pacers in 2025)

• 2025 has not been kind to Babar when it comes to his record against right-arm pacers. He has been dismissed eight times in 13 innings against them, and has a dot ball percentage of 64.2, which is his worst dot ball ratio in his career.
• He has not worked on his technique as bowlers tend to get the ball move away from Babar and the Pakistan batter tends to poke at them with hard hands. Chameera is known for his swing exploits and he could be the one to take Babar’s wicket in the ODI series.

Final verdict

Babar faces race against time in the upcoming ODI series against Sri Lanka, but he needs to work on his technique, and also needs to counter two of their best bowlers - Hasaranga and Chameera, in order to score big and silence his critics.

If he can counter the two Sri Lankan bowlers, his job would automatically become easier in the upcoming ODIs.

---

ALSO READ

Time for Babar Azam to swallow his ego and learn from Virat Kohli before it gets too late

---