"When you lose a match and you haven't scored runs and you are Babar Azam, then you become a headline" - Ramiz Raja
Former Pakistan captain Ramiz Raja believes ace batter Babar Azam's barren recent Test form has been heavily scrutinized because of his stature and the team's losing streak. Pakistan suffered a shocking 10-wicket defeat to Bangladesh in the first of the two-Test home series at Rawalpindi.
It was their first-ever red-ball loss to Bangladesh in 14 outings and Babar endured a dismal outing with scores of 0 and 22.
Ramiz said on his YouTube channel in a review of the first Test, as quoted by the Times of India:
"It seems entire nation doesn't have problem with anything except the form of Babar Azam. Unfortunately what happens is when you lose a match and you haven't scored runs and if you are Babar Azam, then you become a headline - How did we lose? What did he do? What was his contribution? And then this is the era of Social Media. Anybody can criticize and ridicule anyone, this should be discouraged as much as possible."
He added:
"Cricket is in our blood but don't know for how long if we continue to lose matches like this in Test cricket. Fan following increases with wins and fans identify themselves with success stories. Babar Azam has had a famous success story. There is no doubt that he has been a big player in all three formats."
Babar's poor outing in the first Bangladesh Test was an extension of his sub-par showings over the past two years. He has averaged only a tick over 21 with no half-centuries in seven Tests since the start of last year.
"Avoid social media, stay in the moment" - Ramiz Raja's advice to Babar Azam
Ramiz Raja offered a few suggestions to Babar Azam to break out of his slump and rediscover his best form.
The 29-year-old also suffered in the latest ICC Test rankings, slipping from third to ninth.
"So what does he have to do? First, avoid social media. Second, stay in the moment. When you are not able to score runs, it becomes a mental game and you start second-guessing. So you start worrying and that worrisome look is evident on Babar's face. He is trying hard, so frustration will be there. What's important is how he is batting," said Ramiz (as per the aforementioned source).
He continued:
"Scoring runs is one thing but is he happy with the way he is batting? The last innings he played, he was bowled off an inside-edge. It means your bat angles are not right, you lose your frame because you aren't spending much time on the crease. If you are playing forward, commit fully, if on the backfoot, then use the crease. Practice hook and pull shots a lot, because then you focus on the ball a lot."
Babar will be back in action with Pakistan in a must-win situation to avoid a series defeat in the second Bangladesh Test, starting August 30.