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'Focus On Them': Salman Agha Throws Shaheen, Masood and Co Under The Bus To Defend Babar Azam

Salman Agha defended Babar Azam's poor form (X.com)Salman Agha defended Babar Azam's poor form (X.com)

Pakistan's Babar Azam's performances have been under the scanner after his recent poor form has raised some serious concerns. During the second Test against Bangladesh, Babar's innings were cut short by Shakib Al Hasan, who scored only 31 runs. 

Even before this, he failed to fire his bat during the first Test. Statistics reveal that Babar Azam has gone 15 consecutive innings without a fifty in Test cricket, which has resulted in his ICC Test batters' rankings taking a severe dip.

Vouching in his support, Pakistan's all-rounder Salman Agha has urged fans and critics to delve into the contributions of Babar over the past five years. He also emphasized that while Babar is currently experiencing a rough patch, his past achievements cannot be ignored and highlighted the importance of supporting him through this tough period. 

During this, he also added that the focus should be shifted to other players who are in dire need of stepping up.


“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," Salman Ali Agha said after Day 1 in Rawalpindi.

Bangladesh in trouble after brutal collapse

In the second Rawalpindi Test, Mehidy Hasan Miraz of Bangladesh led from the front; he picked up 5 wickets for 61 runs that helped restrict Pakistan to just 274 runs in the first innings. This was the tenth five-wicket haul in Test cricket by Miraz. Taskin Ahmed, who came back after injury, supported him with 3 wickets for 57 runs, while Nahid Rana and Shakib Al Hasan got one each. 

Even then, the bowling performance of Bangladesh was undone by its fielders as they dropped four catches on the third day, one important one being off Saud Shakeel. On Day 3, Bangladesh found it hard to reach 26/6, still trailing by 238 runs against Pakistan. At the time of writing, Bangladesh are 234/8 and are trailing by 40 runs.