Pakistan’s star batter Babar Azam is still struggling to regain his lost form, and the former skipper Shoaib Akhtar has now given him a final ultimatum. Despite being the world’s number one ranked ODI batter, time and again, Babar is failing to score big knocks. A poor first Test performance against the visiting Australian side saw Babar dropped from the squad for the remaining two games, which Pakistan went on to win, clinching the three-match series 2-1. Later, the 30-year-old batter played in the white-ball series against Australia but returned home with paltry scores of 47 runs from three T20Is and 80 runs from as many ODIs.
With the new acquisition of white-ball coach by Pakistan, Aqib Javed, Akhtar stated that Babar has to prove him once again so as to secure his seat in the team.
“Babar Azam will not be considered in Pakistan white-ball team. He needs to score 3 match winning hundreds in Champions trophy to prove himself in the fornat.”
— Abu Bakar Tarar (@abubakartarar_) December 2, 2024
Shoaib Akhtar on Babar Azam’s future ⤵️
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“He is our star player. I back him, but the thing is with the new management, new mindset, he has to change his neurological wiring because the new management will not consider him in T20s, as a matter of fact, even for the ODIs,” said Akhtar during an interaction on a Pakistani TV channel
The former pacer also mentioned that Babar has to hit at least match-winning centuries for Pakistan in the forthcoming Champions Trophy that is set to take place in February 2025.
“Otherwise the Champions Trophy is the time and the place where Babar needs to be on the forefront for Pakistan. He should dominate this tournament and needs to score three match-winning hundreds in the Champions Trophy to prove himself in the format. Otherwise, the path will be very difficult,” he added.
Initially, Pakistan will host the ICC 2025 Champions Trophy, but it is very likely they will agree to stage the event in a hybrid model after the Border of Control for India (BCCI) apprised the ICC that the Indian government has declined to allow the team to cross the border and play in Pakistan.
On PCB’s threat that Pakistan will not travel to India to play ICC events in future, former India spinner Harbhajan Singh said they were free as a country to take their call.
“If Pakistan does not want to travel to India in the future, it is their call. Tournaments will happen without their participation as well,” Harbhajan Singh had told IANS.
