In a recent analysis, former Indian cricketer Sanjay Bangar highlighted the impact of Babar Azam’s slow batting during Pakistan’s opening match of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 against New Zealand. In this match, Pakistan struggled, losing by 60 runs after being bowled out for 260 while chasing a target of 321 runs.
The match started poorly for the hosts, with openers Saud Shakeel and Babar Azam failing to put pressure on the New Zealand bowlers. They quickly found themselves at 22 for 2 in the first ten overs, with Shakeel scoring just 6 runs and captain Mohammad Rizwan only managing 3 runs.
Despite the challenging start, Babar tried to build his innings but was cautious, preferring to avoid taking risks. Bangar pointed out that Babar’s failure to score quickly put additional pressure on his teammates and allowed New Zealand’s bowlers to take control. “The bowlers were disciplined and bowled to their plans. Babar didn’t do much to disrupt that,” Bangar commented during a discussion on Star Sports.
Babar managed to score a half-century, finishing his innings with 64 runs off 90 balls. However, Bangar noted that his slow start impacted Pakistan’s chances, especially given that the final margin of defeat was relatively narrow.
“I expected Babar to accelerate after reaching his 50,” Bangar said. “But once you’ve settled in with a slower strike rate for the first portion of your innings, it’s tough to suddenly shift gears and score quickly.” He remarked that if Babar had been more aggressive early on, it could have changed the outcome of the match, especially since the final score difference was just 60 runs. A stronger partnership at the top could have led to a much closer result.
Following this loss, Pakistan’s net run rate took a hit, leaving them at -1.200. They now prepare to face their arch-rivals India on February 23 in Dubai, knowing that they must win to stay in the tournament. In their last notable encounter in the Champions Trophy, Pakistan celebrated a monumental victory over India in 2017, winning by 180 runs to claim their first title.
