Former Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Kamran Akmal has voiced concerns over Babar Azam’s recent struggles, stating that making him open the innings is damaging both his confidence and the team’s balance. Akmal believes that the current batting lineup is disrupting Pakistan’s team combination and making it difficult for Babar to regain his form ahead of the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy.
During Pakistan’s opening match of the ongoing ODI tri-series against New Zealand, Babar was sent in to open alongside Fakhar Zaman in the absence of Saim Ayub. However, the move did not work as planned, as Babar continued his poor run of form, scoring just 10 runs off 23 balls. Expressing his concerns, Akmal said on his YouTube channel, “You are making Babar open. With this decision, the team combination is ruined, and so is Babar’s confidence.”
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Babar has struggled with consistency since returning from South Africa. While he impressed with three consecutive half-centuries in Pakistan’s two-match Test series in South Africa, his performances took a downturn after the home series against the West Indies in Multan.
His struggles have been evident across formats, with his form declining further in the ongoing tri-series. Babar’s last international century came in August 2023, when he scored 151 runs against Nepal. Since then, he has been searching for a big score but has repeatedly fallen short.
The turning tracks in Multan during the West Indies series further exposed Babar’s weaknesses against spin. In the first Test, he managed only 8 and 5 runs in Pakistan’s dominant 127-run victory. The second Test at the same venue was no different, as he was troubled by West Indies spinners Gudakesh Motie and Kevin Sinclair. After scoring just 1 run in the first innings, Babar showed some resistance in the second but eventually fell for 31 off 67 balls.
With the ICC Champions Trophy set to begin on February 19, Pakistan will be hoping that Babar can rediscover his form before their title defense begins.
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