"There are 10 other players in the team, you should focus on them" - Salman Ali Agha defends Babar Azam amid poor form
Pakistan all-rounder Salman Ali Agha has come to the defence of Babar Azam after the latter recorded yet another underwhelming score. The ace batter registered 31 runs off 77 deliveries on Day 2 of the second Test against Bangladesh in Rawalpindi on Saturday, August 31.
Babar Azam failed to make an impression in the series opener as well, getting dismissed for a duck in the first innings and registering 22 runs in the second innings. Pakistan went on to lose the clash by 10 wickets to begin their home season on the worst possible note.
The right-handed batter's poor form continued in the second Test as well, with Pakistan collapsing from 179-4 to 274 all out after being put into bat.
Babar's red-ball form has been a major cause of concern for a while now. His last score over fifty in the format came in late-2022. Since then, he has registered mediocre scores both home and away, resulting in his Test average dropping below 45.
Despite numbers not being in Babar's favor of late, Salman Ali Agha feels that the batter will be back among the runs sooner than later.
“Babar Azam is a world-class player. As a cricketer, you go through these phases. He has scored consistently throughout the last five years. Soon, we will see him scoring big runs for Pakistan again. As a cricketer, you have such phases in your life. There are 10 other players in the team, you should focus on them. It's fine if he's struggling. He will return to scoring big runs very soon," Salman Ali Agha said after Day 1 in Rawalpindi.
Babar Azam was undone by a Shakib Al Hasan delivery in the first innings, which went on with the arm, trapping him LBW.
Babar Azam slipped down to 9th in the ICC rankings recently
Babar Azam's ongoing poor form has had a drastic impact on his place in the ICC rankings. The batter had a rating of 882 after his ton against New Zealand in Karachi in 2022. However, that value has dropped down to 734, and he recently fell six spots from third to find himself in the ninth spot in the ICC Test rankings for batters.
Bangladesh began proceedings on Day 3 from their overnight score of 12-0, with the duo of Shadman Islam and Zakir Hasan at the crease. Pakistan have named an inexperienced bowling unit, with both Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah omitted from the playing XI.