Babar Azam is undoubtedly the best Pakistan batter. He might invite some criticism in T20s for his slow strike rate, but he still is the best the Men in Green have got. This rings true in ODIs. No one really comes close to him. Well, that’s not true in the longest format, Tests. His poor run against Bangladesh at home is bringing it to the fore.
After scoring just 22 runs in the 1st Test, he’s failed to cross the 50-run mark once again. Babar hasn’t looked at home during the 2-match series. His failure in the first game handed Bangladesh a first-ever Test victory over Pakistan. Facing a humiliating series defeat, big responsibility fell upon his shoulders. Mind you, Pakistan hasn’t won a Test match at home since beating South Africa in 2021.
Babar Azam’s slump
Pakistan were batting at 4 runs an over before Babar arrived in the middle (106 runs in 27 overs). With Saim Ayub failing and Saud Shakeel coming in, runs started to dry up. By the 50th over, the run rate went down to 3.3 as Babar had scored just 28(71). He’d gotten lucky a couple of times before then, as inside and outside edges evaded his stumps. Finally, in the 54th over, he fell.
Shakib Al Hasan got him trapped in front. 31(77)—a slow and uninspiring innings came to an end. This was an aberration but a continuation. You see, Babar Azam hasn’t scored a half-century in the last 20 months. He scored 161 against New Zealand in December 2022, and since his highest score is 41. You don’t expect your best player to average 21. Granted, he has played just 9 Tests, but that isn’t a short period.
Babar Azam’s Test record since January 2023
| Innings | Runs | Out | Average | Highest Score | 50s & 100s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | 320 | 15 | 21.33 | 41 | 0 & 0 |
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