Pakistan captain of Babar Azam Once again in the headlines, when Pakistan England India suffered another heavy defeat in the ongoing Test series against India. His return to the playing XI at Lord's had raised hopes of a strong batting performance, but the veteran batsman faced another tough experience.
Now with Pakistan heading towards a possible series cleanup, the scrutiny around Babar has increased. former pakistan cricketer Basit Ali particularly criticized the captain, questioning Babar's performance when the team needed its most experienced batsmen.
Basit Ali raised questions on the performance of Babar Azam
Babar returned to the Pakistan squad for the second Test after recovering from a thumb injury, but his return did not go as planned. He scored only 8 runs in the first innings and 6 runs in the second innings as Pakistan lost by 194 runs at Lord's. youtube show The Game Plan Speaking on the issue, Basit Ali questioned whether Babar has done enough in difficult conditions and pointed towards his long-awaited Test century.
“When you don't do anything in tough times, what does it mean? You are a great player among your fans. You are a great player in front of social media. He has not scored a (Test) century in four years. When will you do it? It is a pain. When the entire country's batting depends on you,” Basit said.
He directly questioned Babar on his long century drought, stating that the team's batting was struggling and the onus was on Babar. Babar's last test century New Zealand Came in Karachi in December 2022 against. Since then, he has struggled to convert his starts into significant scores in the longer format, increasing the pressure on him to deliver a crucial innings.
Pakistan's batting crisis increases pressure on Babar
Pakistan's batting has been a major concern during the series, with the team failing to cross the 200-run mark in any innings so far. At Lord's, they were out for 110 in their first innings and were out for 194 while chasing a target of 389. Saud Shakeel provided the greatest resistance by scoring 97 runs in the second innings, but Pakistan lacked the collective batting effort required to remain in the competition. Babur's failure was particularly costly, given the expectations surrounding his return.
His combined score of 14 runs in two innings was his lowest match total while batting twice since January 2025. With Pakistan already trailing 0-2 in the three-match series, Babar will now get another opportunity to respond when the teams meet in the final Test in Birmingham. The third Test begins on September 9, with Pakistan facing the threat of a 3-0 whitewash. For Babar, this will be another chance to answer his critics and show that he can lead with the bat when his team needs him most.