Like a poster boy Pakistan cricket, Babar Azam currently the direct comparison must be male Englandof Joe Root. But he finds himself in the cold, with his future under a cloud.
Azam is struggling to prove himself as the best batsman in the Pakistan team, but his poor form means he loses his place in the team and his squad for the remaining two Tests against England.
A score of 30 and five in the first Test loss was the final straw for Azam’s current poor run. Livecricket.io see if you can come back from it.
A career average of 43.92 is quite modest for a player of Azam’s quality, but it has been heavily influenced by his performances over the past few years.
In 2023, Azam batted in nine innings and scored a total of 204 runs at 22.67. However, the worst was yet to come, with Azam in 2024 falling to its lowest average since 2017.
Azam scored a total of 148 runs in eight innings at 18.50 this year. He has yet to score a total of 31 which sees him yet to get anywhere near a half-century or even a century.
Azam’s loss of place in the second Test against England is not surprising given his form. However, seeing the number one ODI batsman struggle like this in Test matches means many will be questioning what’s next for Azam.
He has a lot of time left with Azam, who is only 30 years old. Modern cricketers are still performing well into their mid-30s. Indeed, Root has only been improving in the last few years and he is now 33 years old. However, the statistical difference between Root and Azam is stark.
There is a lot He scored 3997 runs in 100 overs at 43.92. Meanwhile, Root sits on 12,664 runs from 268 overs at 51.48. Azam has nine centuries, Root notches 35. Although Root has three years in Azam, the run-score gap between the two is huge and growing.
Looking at Root’s form, is there some light at the end of the tunnel for Azam?
Root himself went through a rough patch in 2020 as he failed to score a century in 13 innings that year. Root struggled to regain his form before enjoying his most prolific year to date in 2021, scoring 1,708 runs in 29 innings at 61.00.
Despite this, Root still averaged above 40 during his lean run. This is where the two differ, Azam has failed to score centuries or really contribute to his team. Innings at four, runs are crucial and they eluded Azam for too long.
To be left out series it’s not the be-all and end-all for a player, but it hardly inspires confidence. Of course, spending time away from the middle will help Azam relax and focus when it comes to Pakistan cricket.
The main concern for Azam will be that for many players the only way to regain form is to keep playing. Losing the middle of their bat is never easy, but finding it in the nets is very different from being in the middle in a test match.
When the game is going against you, you can feel that things will never end. Unplayable balls seem to constantly find the edge or hit the front. A player suddenly walks past the bat or spins in the air to bring themselves back for a bounce to the boundary, piling the pressure on the batter.
Maybe now the focus will shift to using Azam in limited overs cricket. As the world’s number one ODI batsman, he will rely on the 50-over format to score runs. Perhaps the difference in style and not having to focus on batting all day provides a welcome break for Azam.
Worryingly, things will not get any easier for Azam and Pakistan in the coming months. Two more tests against England followed by a Australian tour where they play three ODIs and three T20s. Then they come face to face Zimbabwe On a similar tour before going to South Africa.
Pakistan’s next test set is up against South Africa in unforgiving conditions against a fast developing side with a brutal bowling attack and scoring strikes.
If Pakistan find a way to beat England in one of the last two Tests with top-class wickets, it’s hard to see Azam back in the team any time soon. Test cricket is an unforgiving place and perhaps time out of the limelight will help Azam more than forcing him to regain his form in a side lacking in confidence.
Aged just 30, Azam will be back in 2025, but the air of near-invincibility with the bat has well and truly disappeared.
