'When will you score runs?' Babar Azam's weaknesses exposed by ex-Pakistan player

Babar Azam’s struggle to turn good starts into big scores has raised questions about his form during the ODI tri-series. The Pakistan batter scored 45 against Sri Lanka in the opening match before making 34 against England at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on October 20. While Babar got starts in both matches, he failed to convert them into a big innings. His dismissal against England brought former Pakistan player Tanveer Ahmed’s criticism, with the ex-cricketer pointing out three areas where Babar has been struggling.

Tanveer Ahmed asks Babar to improve

Ahmed believes Babar is facing problems against spinners, deliveries that come into him from fast bowlers, and short balls. “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 also questioned why a batter of Babar’s quality was allowing opponents to target so many weaknesses in his game. “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.

He said Babar needed to work on his batting and find ways to deal with these challenges. “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...". Babar’s footwork against spin has come under scrutiny. He has sometimes moved forward too early, making it difficult to adjust when a delivery turns or goes straight on. That can leave him vulnerable to different types of spin bowling. England’s Will Jacks dismissed him in the second ODI of the tri-series, bringing the problem into focus once again.