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Shan Masood Backs Out Of Form Babar Azam Ahead Of England Tests: 'He Is One Of The Best'

Babar in action [Source: @asad_qureshi257/X.Com] Babar in action [Source: @asad_qureshi257/X.Com]

Pakistan's star batter, Babar Azam is going through a rough patch in 2024, as runs have been difficult to come by. The former Test and white-ball captain has had a torrid time across formats this year, with not a match-winning score by his side.

Babar has had a massive decline in his Test numbers, and he has failed to score a single fifty-plus score in the last 2 years in Test cricket. Such has been his numbers that former cricketers have raised their voice and demanded Babar to be dropped from the team.

In the recently concluded Test series against Bangladesh, Babar could only manage to score 64 runs in 4 innings as Pakistan were thrashed 2-0 in their own backyard by the Tigers. Now, Pakistan fans are hoping that their star batter comes back to form, since the England series is just around the corner.

Ahead of the series, captain Shan Masood attended the pre-series press conference and backed out of form Babar to deliver the goods against a strong England side.

“Babar Azam is among the world’s best batters. You have to give your players time, not just Babar Azam. Babar doesn’t look out of form, he’s getting starts,” Masood said. “There was a 10-month gap between the Australia and Bangladesh Tests, which doesn’t help us. He played some long innings in the Champions [One-Day] Cup where he absorbed pressure and changed gears. That might help him in Tests now. He’s the team’s number one batter for sure.”

Babar relinquishes white-ball captaincy

In a shocking development, Babar, on Tuesday, stepped down from the post of white-ball captain, a decision which has shook Pakistan cricket.

He was removed from the captaincy after Pakistan's group stage exit in the 50-over World Cup, last year. However, in a surprising decision, Babar was once again reinstated, just a month before the T20 World Cup, this year.

As per reports, Mohammad Rizwan is the front-runner for the post of Pakistan's white-ball captain.