Babar Azam’s difficult run with the bat continued as he was dismissed for 23 ball 9 run in Third ODI against West Indies. Earlier He was dismissed for a three-ball duck in the second ODI against the West Indies at Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba, Trinidad. It was his 5th duck in ODI Format.
In early 2023, Babar Azam was awarded the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy – handed to the best cricketer of the previous year. Two years down the line, his career, across formats, is at a crossroads: his form, consistency, and legacy all crumbling.
During the period from 2019 to 2022, Babar averaged 59 in Tests with a 50-plus score every other innings. His 2,397 ODI runs were the second most after Shai Hope’s 2,646, coming in 20 fewer knocks. While Virat Kohli averaged 48 in ODIs in this period, Babar averaged a staggering 70. Even in T20Is, Babar was the second-highest run-scorer between 2019 and 2022 (after teammate Mohammad Rizwan), his 2,324 runs coming at a strike rate of 129. Across the three formats, Babar made 7,275 runs in this period. No one else made 6,000. Babar was going up. There was a new ‘King’ in town.
But the pressure of captaining a struggling Pakistan took its toll and began to affect Azam’s form with the bat.
It’s just a matter of time until the king takes back his throne, and Babar Azam will soon rise again and rule the cricket world once more.
