Rizwan Supports Babar Amidst Form Concerns
Pakistan’s cricket captain, Mohammad Rizwan, has come to the defense of star batter Babar Azam, saying he doesn’t believe Babar is in a slump. Speaking ahead of the ODI tri-series final against New Zealand in Karachi, Rizwan mentioned that the pressure on Babar stems from the high expectations set by his own past performances.
While Rizwan recently found his best form with a match-winning century during a record chase against South Africa, Babar has struggled to play at his usual high standard. Due to the injury of Saim Ayub, Babar stepped up to open the batting in the tri-series but has had a tough time getting into his rhythm.
In the first match against New Zealand, he scored just 10 runs off 23 balls. Although he showed signs of improvement in the next game against South Africa, he was dismissed for 23 runs off 19 balls after looking more focused.
Rizwan acknowledged the weight of expectations on Babar, saying everyone, including him, expects big scores from the leading batter. He expressed confidence that Babar will regain his form when it matters most.
"There’s a lot of pressure on Babar because of what he has achieved. We’ve come to expect centuries from him," Rizwan explained during a media briefing in Karachi. "But if you look closely, he is still contributing valuable runs."
He continued, "As a captain, I want him to score even more because of his track record. I know that added pressure can be tough, and I’m sure he feels it. If you look at his performances in South Africa and Australia, you can see he’s playing well. The luck just hasn’t been in his favor lately. I believe he’ll bounce back."
Why Babar is Opening in ODIs
Since the end of the 2023 ODI World Cup, Babar has managed two fifties in seven innings. When asked about the possibility of moving Babar to the middle order for the upcoming Champions Trophy, Rizwan clarified the decision to have him open with Fakhar Zaman.
"The absence of Saim Ayub created a challenge, so we decided to play it safe by putting our best batter at the top," Rizwan said. "Babar can handle the new ball well, especially when it swings. When Abdullah Shafique got out early in our match against South Africa, Babar had to take on the new ball, which he did effectively, allowing us to push for runs at the end. We thought it best to use our technically strongest player in that opening position."
Pakistan is set to face New Zealand in the ODI tri-series final on Friday, with their Champions Trophy campaign kicking off against the same team on February 19.
