All-rounder Salman Agha of Pakistan has backed the former Test captain, Babar Azam, after he has constantly been facing criticism over his recent form. Babar has had a patchy run in Test cricket, having fallen six places in the ICC Test batters’ rankings. And this didn’t get any better in the first innings of the second Test against Bangladesh he fell for 31 to Shakib Al Hasan.

Babar Azam’s Poor Form Continues

This was Babar’s 15th successive innings without a fifty. He is now on target with growing scrutiny, Agha has stood up for Babar, emphasizing that ups-and-downs in performance is part of the career for a cricketer. He has called on both fans and critics to consider Babar’s valuable contributions over the last five years, during which he has been a cornerstone of Pakistan’s batting order.

“Babar Azam is a world-class player. As a cricketer, you go through these phases. He has scored consistently throughout the last five years. Soon, we will see him scoring big runs for Pakistan again,” Agha said.

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“As a cricketer, you have such phases in your life. There are 10 other players in the team, you should focus on them. It’s fine if he’s struggling. He will return to scoring big runs very soon.”

Babar Azam last 15 Test Innings

31, 22، 0, 23, 26, 41, 1, 14, 21, 39, 24, 13، 27، 24، 14 pic.twitter.com/jJzdQxn6h0

— ٰImran Siddique (@imransiddique89) August 31, 2024

Babar Azam has slipped to 9th position from 3rd in the latest ICC Test rankings after a series of bad performances in red-ball cricket. It takes him now behind Pakistan’s Mohammad Rizwan, who jumped seven places up in the rankings.

Bangladesh All Prepped Up For A Series Win

Off-spinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz gave a commendable performance for Bangladesh as he gave his significant contribution in bowling Pakistan out for 274 on day two of the Test match with 5 for 61, ably supported by returning Taskin Ahmed’s 3 for 57 after his shoulder injury. The combined performance from both of them put Bangladesh in a strong position, even though there were some fielding errors.

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At stumps on Day 2, Bangladesh played the last two overs cautiously to fold the day at 10 without loss, still 264 runs behind Pakistan. Taskin Ahmed was pleased to see how his comeback to red-ball cricket went – after an 18-month layoff – although he had some teething issues upfront.

A delicately poised series, with Bangladesh leads with 1-0, courtesy their historic 10-wicket win in the first Test at this very venue. But the team then received a potential setback with Mushfiqur Rahim, the star of the first Test with a superb 191, suffering a shoulder injury while fielding. His fitness will be critical as Bangladesh, under the leadership of Shakib Al Hasan, look to preserve their lead in the series.

Rain washed out the first day of the second Test.