Pakistan kicks off their Champions Trophy campaign against New Zealand in Karachi on February 19. The defending champions will be under pressure to defend their title.
What is adding pressure to their title defense is Babar Azam's form. His recent form has been on a decline in recent times and he struggled with the bat in the recent Tri-series involving New Zealand and South Africa alongside Pakistan.
Babar scored 10, 23 and 29 in the PAK ODI Tri-series. Cumulatively, he scored just 62 runs in the series at an average of 20.67. In 2024, he scored just 228 runs across six ODI matches averaging 57.00 including two unbeaten knocks. His best in recent years came in 2023 when he scored 1065 runs in the calendar year at an average of 46.30.
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Babar Azam Struggling With Bad Form - No Hundreds Since 2024
Despite his recent lean patch, the former Pakistan skipper is the number-one ranked ODI batsman. Meanwhile, Pakistan skipper Mohammad Rizwan and the entire team management is worried about Babar Azam's form and hence they have taken a strategic decision.
As per a report by Sohail Imran a journalist of Geo TV Network, Usman Khan, the young batter is likely to be unleashed by the team against the Kiwis at the top. He is an aggressive batter and Pakistan want him to compliment Fakhar Zaman. This will also help them maintain a left-right combination at the top-order.
Babar thus is very likely to bat at his number three position where he has scored all of his 19 ODI hundreds. The former Pakistan skipper playing at home in known conditions would be aiming to come back into form in this champions trophy. Various former Pakistan cricketers and captains believe that Babar Azam will end up as the top-scorer in the tournament.
Rizwan Says Babar Will Open
Pakistan skipper Mohammad Rizwan also hinted about Babar's batting position in the pre-match press conference ahead of their game against the Kiwis. He said that the Pakistan batter will open the batting alongside Fakhar Zaman which contradicts the report from the GEO TV journalist.
"We have options, but if you look at the combination, Babar will continue opening the batting for us in the Champions Trophy. He is satisfied with his batting position. We want to bring genuine openers, but it is our home conditions, we want a left-right combination. Hence, we decided to have Babar Azam as an opener as he is technically sound batter," Rizwan told reporters ahead of the Champions Trophy opener against New Zealand.
Also Read: ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Match 1: PAK vs NZ Match Analysis & Where To Watch Live?
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