Babar Azam, who was once considered among the best batters across the globe, will now be watching the second Test against England from his home on his 30th birthday. It’s a dramatic twist for someone who, just two years ago, was sitting on the top of the world as the captain and the number one batter across all formats.
Babar Azam’s Bad Patch
The decision to drop Babar Azam from the second Test came after a long run of poor form. He hasn’t scored a half-century in his last 18 Test innings, which has raised concerns about his place in the side.
This is the first time since his debut in 2015 that Babar has been left out of the team. That makes it a tough pill to swallow for both him and his fans.
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Despite his recent slump, Babar’s career is nothing short of extraordinary. Who can forget his rise to fame in 2016 when he smashed three consecutive ODI hundreds against the West Indies? Or how he dethroned Indian superstar Virat Kohli as the world’s number-one ODI batsman?
He is still the number one ODI batter and holds the fourth position in T20Is, however, we all know that he is only a shadow of his past self. Meanwhile, in Test cricket, he crashed out of the top ten rankings after the series against Bangladesh last month.
From Ball Boy to World Beater
Babar’s love affair with cricket started young. At just 13, he was a ball boy during Pakistan’s Test against South Africa in 2007, where he got a front-row view of his idol, AB de Villiers.
Five years later, Babar was leading Pakistan’s U19 team in the 2012 World Cup, where he was their top scorer. It wasn’t long before he made it to the senior team, and his talent in white-ball cricket earned him comparisons to Kohli.
But as the years went by, the pressure of leading Pakistan started to wear him down. These last two years have been especially tough for him, both mentally and physically. After Pakistan’s disappointing exit from last year’s 50-over World Cup, Babar stepped down as captain across all formats.
Read More: Gary Kirsten’s Report Led To Babar Azam’s Resignation?
A Test Slump
While Babar has had flashes of brilliance—like his unforgettable 196 against Australia’s fearsome bowling lineup last year—it’s been in Tests where his form has slipped the most. In the recent series loss to Bangladesh, he managed just 64 runs in four innings.
His struggles continued in the first Test against England, where he scored 30 and 5 on a pitch that had “batter’s paradise” written all over it.
This slump, along with the arrival of a new selection panel, ultimately led to his exclusion from the second Test. Even though captain Shan Masood and coach Jason Gillespie backed him, the selectors decided to leave him out.
The panel, which includes Aaqib Javed, believes that this break could help Babar recharge. After carrying the weight of Pakistan’s hopes for the past two years, it might give him time to rest and come back stronger.
Sometimes, stepping away from the spotlight is exactly what a player needs to find their best form again. For Babar Azam, this break might just be the reset he’s been searching for.
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