Babar Azam faced significant criticism for his slow innings in Pakistan’s 60-run loss to New Zealand in the 2025 Champions Trophy opener. Chasing 321, Pakistan struggled initially, scoring just 22 runs in the first 10 overs and losing two wickets. Babar managed 64 runs from 90 balls, with a notorious strike rate of only 61.7, reaching his half-century in 81 balls and failing to hit a boundary for 16 overs. Former cricketer Wasim Akram humorously remarked on Babar’s performance, highlighting the cultural reluctance to criticize players. Pakistan’s next match is against India on February 23.
Babar Azam faced significant backlash for the slow pace of his innings as Pakistan suffered a 60-run defeat against New Zealand in their opening match of the Champions Trophy 2025. While chasing a formidable target of 321, Pakistan struggled immensely in the first 10 overs, managing only 22 runs and losing two wickets in the process. Babar, who scored 64 off 90 balls, was criticized heavily by fans and experts for his sluggish performance. Former Pakistan cricket legend Wasim Akram humorously took a jab at Babar’s innings.
On the post-match show of the ‘Sports Central’ channel, Akram recalled his earlier suggestion to Babar to focus on steady play without the pressure of a strike rate. He responded to this by referencing a classic joke.
“There’s a joke that when a man has an argument with his wife, he storms out and exclaims curses like ‘I want to die’. Yet, when God takes him seriously and grants his wish, the man tells God, ‘I was joking. Why did you take it seriously?’,” Akram remarked.
“Similarly, I was just joking about my comment regarding Babar. Why did he take it to heart?” he added with a laugh.
Wasim Bhai is back !!!!!!!!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/fIINj93e4c
— Zak (@Zakr1a) February 20, 2025
Babar’s innings unfolded painfully slowly at a time when Pakistani batters were expected to exhibit aggression and take risks. He reached his half-century in 81 balls, posting a strike rate of just 61.7.
Pakistan lost the wickets of Saud Shakeel and captain Mohammad Rizwan before the 10-over mark, leaving them at 22/2 and almost 300 runs needed from 40 overs. Yet, Babar was unable to accelerate the scoring. In fact, he went without hitting a single boundary for 16 consecutive overs, from the 16th to the 32nd over.
Akram did not shy away from expressing his feelings towards the performances of seasoned players like Babar and Rizwan.
“Honestly, if you want me to be candid, I can be. In our culture, there’s a tendency to protect our players, saying ‘these are our kids, don’t criticize’. But I believe these are our top players. If there were anyone better, they would have taken their spots,” Akram asserted.
Despite a couple of explosive innings from middle-order batsmen Salman Ali Agha (42 off 28) and Khushdil Shah (69 off 49), Pakistan struggled to make up for the disastrous start and Babar’s low strike rate, leading them to fall significantly short of New Zealand’s total.
Next, Pakistan will clash with arch-rivals India in Dubai on February 23.
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