"Look at the way India backed Virat Kohli" - Former Pakistan spinner slams Babar Azam's critics after Champions Trophy 2025 debacle
Former Pakistan spinner Saeed Ajmal slammed the critics of ace batter Babar Azam after the side's dismal 2025 Champions Trophy campaign. Entering the home tournament with massive expectations, the Men in Green failed miserably, losing their opening two games against New Zealand and India to be eliminated.
Babar's performance in both outings was heavily criticized for different reasons. In the tournament opener against the Kiwis, the 30-year-old labored to a 90-ball 64 despite Pakistan chasing a mammoth target of 321. He followed that up with only 23 in the all-important clash against India as Pakistan suffered a six-wicket loss to their arch-rivals.
Talking to Sportstar about Babar being the center of criticisms after Pakistan's early exit in the Champions Trophy, Ajmal said:
"Look at the way India backed Virat Kohli. His bad patch continued for long, but no one forced him to quit and not many wanted him to leave, while Babar, who is undoubtedly one of the biggest stars of Pakistan cricket, is going through a lull, everyone is busy pulling him down. Aapke paas ek hi toh star hai (You have only one star), if you degrade him also, then how will your cricket run? These are the big issues. Our former cricketers should keep their mouths shut."
He added:
"We forced Babar Azam to become an opener. So, there are problems, and if you want to build a team for the future, you can’t make 50 changes in a year. You have to minimise your changes and create a bench. You have to give time to the players, irrespective of their form.
"As a cricketer, one must realise that bad patches are part of a player’s career. You can’t play cricket the same way all your life. Even if you were Sachin Tendulkar, you couldn’t score 100 runs in every match. He has also been out for duck. He is a world-class player, but he has also gone through bad patches."
Babar is in the middle of an extended lean patch across formats, with his last three-figure score coming way back in the 2023 Asia Cup. Meanwhile, his Indian counterpart, Virat Kohli, helped his side win the 2025 Champions Trophy with an unbeaten century against Pakistan and a crucial 84 in the semifinal against Australia.
"When chips are down, they need that support" - Saeed Ajmal
Saeed Ajmal urged the Pakistan fans and former players to back Babar Azam during his torrid phase, instead of piling on the criticisms. Despite his recent barren run, the champion batter is still Pakistan's fifth leading run-scorer of all-time with 14,564 runs, including 31 centuries.
"You have to show some patience. Cricketers give it their all to the sport and when chips are down, they need that support. When he’s World No.1, he does not need support, but he needs it at a time when there’s a rough patch," said Ajmal.
He concluded:
"As a coach, one needs to understand this. If I am coaching someone like AB de Villiers, I wouldn’t tell him how to play, rather I would tell him how to make the most of the conditions. Similarly, when under pressure, our players deserve this backing."
Babar has unfortunately been dropped from Pakistan's T20I squad for the upcoming white-ball tour of New Zealand, starting March 16. However, he is part of the side for the three ODIs that follow the T20Is, starting March 29.