'Babar Azam Should Rest,' Pakistan's Ex-Cricketer Advises Batting Maestro Amid Poor Form
Babar Azam gets criticized for his poor form [Source: @academy_dinda/X.com]
Babar Azam has been under increasing scrutiny due to his ongoing poor form. His struggles were further highlighted in the recent Multan Test against England. Despite Pakistan putting up a strong first-innings score of 550, their bowlers couldn't contain England’s powerful batting line-up. England posted a record-breaking 823 runs, taking a commanding lead of over 250 runs. Unfortunately, Pakistan’s second innings saw a batting collapse, with Babar once again failing to make an impact. He was dismissed for 5 runs off 15 balls.
Former Pakistani cricketer, Basit Ali, was quick to voice his concerns about Babar’s form. In a bold statement on his YouTube channel, Basit suggested that Babar needs a break.
“Babar Azam needs rest,” he said, adding that any other player in Babar’s shoes would have been dropped by now.
He drew comparisons to Fawad Alam, a player dropped after just three poor performances.
“He should be the one saying, ‘I need to rest’. It’s been 18 innings without a significant performance. Any other player would have been dropped after three games, like Fawad Alam. This is the harsh reality.”
Basit didn’t stop there. He also critiqued Babar’s technique, pointing out flaws in his wide stance. “The whole world is laughing,” he said.
In addition to his critique of Babar, Basit also questioned the team’s strategy, especially regarding the batting order. He emphasized that Test captain, Shan Masood, should be opening the innings instead of batting at number three.
"He should play in his rightful position,” Basit insisted, adding that Shan’s captaincy also left much to be desired.
England Become First Team To Score Over 800 Runs Vs Pakistan
England’s commanding performance was driven by a historic partnership between Harry Brook and Joe Root. Brook scored a stunning 317, while Root added a career-best 262, guiding England to their total of 823. This was the first time any team scored over 800 runs against Pakistan, setting a new record. Pakistan, in response, found themselves struggling at 152-6 by the end of the fourth day, with Agha Salman and Aamer Jamal offering some resistance.