'When will you score runs?' Ex-Pakistan player throws light on three glaring weaknesses of Babar Azam amid ODI Tri-series originally appeared on Cricket News. Add Cricket News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- Pakistan star Babar Azam fell for 34 against England in Rawalpindi, missing yet another half-century.
- Will Jacks bowled Babar, who made 45 against Sri Lanka in the first game.
- Ex-Pakistan player Tanveer Ahmed says Babar struggles against spin; inswinging deliveries and bouncers are out in the open.
Tanveer Ahmed slams Babar Azam's form: Three glaring technical weaknesses exposed in ODI tri-series
Babar was dismissed for 34 in Pakistan’s second match of the ongoing tri-series, against England at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Tuesday, October 20, and the manner of his exit has revived an uncomfortable debate about his form.
England won the toss on the day and chose to field, which sent Pakistan in to bat. Babar was listed at number three, a slot that traditionally asks him to anchor the innings, and he did settle in for a while. However, his stay ended when Will Jacks bowled him, with the off-spinner playing on a known soft spot in the right-hander’s game.
The dismissal came just a few days after he made 45 against Sri Lanka in the opening match of the series, an innings that also stopped short of a half-century. Two starts and no big score make for a worrying pattern, particularly for a batter of his standing.
Former Pakistan player Tanveer Ahmed didn’t hold back while criticising Babar. He said that the ace batsman has been getting caught out in more than one department at the same time, and he listed them one by one.
“Babar Azam has gotten stuck. He is getting stuck against spinners, he is getting stuck against incoming deliveries from fast bowlers, and now bouncers have started against him," he said.
Ahmed then turned to the bigger point, which is that a player of Babar’s quality shouldn’t be leaving so many gaps open for the opposition to attack.
“Look, man, you are such a top player; if you start exposing weaknesses across these three different areas, then when will you score runs?” he added.
“You’ve got to improve. If you, as a batsman, show three different weaknesses—like, ‘Man, yes, I’m weak against spin, I have a problem against incoming balls from fast bowlers, and I have a problem with bouncers as well’—then you simply can’t score runs. Babar Azam has started getting trapped across three different things...”.
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Technical issues in Babar’s game: footwork against spin, tentative play outside off and dot balls
Closer analysis of his recent batting points to some specific flaws. Against spin, he has been committing to the front foot too early, which leaves him exposed to the arm ball, the subtle off-break and deliveries that grip in the surface, and that is close to how Jacks got him in Rawalpindi.
Outside the off stump, the famous stillness has looked less secure. He has pulled his bat away late at times and played at balls in the fifth-stump channel that he would once have left alone without a second thought.
There’s also the issue of dot balls in the middle overs. When he can’t rotate the strike freely between overs 15 and 30, the pressure shifts to his partners, and he often ends up forcing a risky shot when the boundaries aren’t coming.
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Babar Azam needs a clear plan, not more sympathy
Tanveer Ahmed’s criticism is blunt, but it contains a hard truth that Pakistan can’t keep avoiding. Babar has now reached starts in two successive matches and gifted his wicket both times, which suggests that the problem isn’t the first 30 balls but the way he handles the pressure of building something big. A batter of his experience should know how to turn 34 into 80, yet the scorecard keeps telling a different story.
It’s also unfair to pretend that his talent has vanished. His technique, when it clicks, remains among the cleanest in world cricket, and that’s exactly why the current slide looks so frustrating.
What he needs is a clear plan against spin, a stricter approach outside off stump and a sharper method for rotating the strike, rather than another round of sympathy or noise.
Pakistan’s management has a role here too. If he is going to bat at number three, the team should help him work on specific, measurable fixes before the next match, and Babar must accept that reputation won’t hide gaps forever. The next innings will say plenty about whether he can answer Ahmed’s question.
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