Brad Hogg, former Australian cricketer reacted sharply against comparisons between Babar Azam’s recent struggles and Virat Kohli’s difficulties in 2021 and 2022. Babar, hasn’t scored a half-century in his last 18 Test innings and he has been left out of Pakistan’s squad for the matches against England. Since the start of 2023, he has averaged just below 21 in nine Test matches. He was well short of the desired level in the first Test against England, with scores of 30 and 5 on a dead Multan wicket. Against his last eight innings at home, where most cricketers have feasted, Babar has had an average of just 18.75. After a woeful showing in the first Test, the PCB selection committee took some harsh decisions without star cricketers Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi, and Naseem Shah. While the side has remained truthful to the batting order that scored 556 and 220 in the first Test, Babar’s performance has been the single reason for many raising eyebrows.
Also Read: ‘India Didn’t Bench Virat Kohli When…’: Fakhar Zaman Slams PCB After Babar Azam’s Exclusion
Brad Hogg’s Brutal Take On Fakhar Zaman’s Baseless Comparison Between Virat Kohli & Babar Azam
Several cricketing fans and even some teammates have rallied for him, with white-ball opener Fakhar Zaman drawing comparisons between Babar’s current debacle and Kohli’s earlier struggle.
However, Hogg labelled these comparisons without a basis for considering the reality, as he points out that Virat Kohli was amidst a century drought, but the team wasn’t still reflecting low results-a complete contrast to what was happening with Pakistan and Babar.
“Comparing bad form between Babar Azam & Kohli after rumours the Pakistan legend will be dropped for the 2nd test v England is baseless. India: 2nd best win % during Kohli’s draught. Pakistan: 2nd worst win % through Babar’s. Hard decisions need to be made!” Hogg wrote on X
Comparing bad form between Babar Azam & Kohli after rumours the Pakistan legend will be dropped for the 2nd test v England is baseless.
— Brad Hogg (@Brad_Hogg) October 14, 2024
India: 2nd best win % during Kohli's draught.
Pakistan: 2nd worst win % through Babar's.
Hard decisions need to be made!#ENGvsPAK #IINDvAUS
Fakhar Zaman On Babar Azam Getting Axed
Earlier, Fakhar Zaman was one of the most vocal voices among the Pakistani players that condemned the decision to send Babar on a break. He took to social media to make a comparison between this and how India treated Virat Kohli when the latter failed to score from 2020 to 2022. Though Kohli averages less than 30 over three years, he did not ever get out of the Indian XI. According to Fakhar Zaman it is extremely worrying that Babar Azam is made to sit out.
It’s concerning to hear suggestions about dropping Babar Azam. India didn’t bench Virat Kohli during his rough stretch between 2020 and 2023, when he averaged 19.33, 28.21, and 26.50, respectively. If we are considering sidelining our premier batsman, arguably the best Pakistan…
— Fakhar Zaman (@FakharZamanLive) October 13, 2024
“India didn’t bench Virat Kohli during his rough stretch between 2020 and 2023 (2022), when he averaged 19.33, 28.21, and 26.50, respectively. If we are considering sidelining our premier batsman, arguably the best Pakistan has ever produced, it could send a deeply negative message across the team. There is still time to avoid pressing the panic button; we should focus on safeguarding our key players rather than undermining them.” Fakhar Zaman said
