Pakistan talisman Babar Azam has been going through a lean patch in red-ball cricket since the tour of Australia in December last year. His lack of runs has also coincided with the side’s poor run of results. However, ahead of the England series red-ball captain Shan Masood has backed Babar and said he is not out of form and he is getting the starts.
“Babar Azam is among the world’s best batters. You have to give your players time, not just Babar Azam. Babar doesn’t look out of form, he’s getting starts,” Masood said. “There was a 10-month gap between the Australia and Bangladesh Tests, which doesn’t help us. He played some long innings in the Champions [One-Day] Cup where he absorbed pressure and changed gears. That might help him in Tests now. He’s the team’s number one batter for sure.” In 2023 Babar scored 204 runs at an average of 22.67 and in 2024 so far he has scored 113 runs at an average of 18.83.
Earlier, all-rounder Salman Agha too would come to the rescue of Babar during a Press Conference in Bangladesh series. “As a cricketer, you have such phases in your life. There are 10 other players in the team, so you should focus on them. It’s fine if he’s struggling. He will return to scoring big runs very soon,” Agha said.
Babar Azam’s home-away variance and recent form a concern for Pakistan
No batter who has debuted since 1990 has had a better home Test average (min. 1,000 runs) than Babar – 67.77. However, his middling away haul, averaging 36.86 after 56 innings, neutralises his overall account.
The home-away average variance of 30.91 is the highest among the 10 batters who have achieved a 1,000-plus run and 60-plus average double at home since 1990.
In contrast, Kumar Sangakkara (7.31) and Steve Smith (9.1) have the least variance in the mentioned bracket. Virat Kohli, who has played the most away innings (110) among them, has a home-away average difference of 17.21.
Interestingly, Babar’s WTC home-away splits are a microcosm of his overall Test career with a 24.33 difference
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