New Delhi: Pakistan captain Babar Azam’s performance has been on a steep downfall from last edition of Asia Cup to the one in 2022. He couldn’t do much for his side and eventually lost the trophy of the tournament.
Babar could only score 68 runs in the six outings of the Asia Cup but a lot of improvement would be required in the upcoming T20 World Cup.
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Concern for Babar Azam on poor form
Sri Lanka legend Mahela Jayawardena showed concerned for cricketer and he said, “The way Babar has been batting the last two years, for him to have a tournament like that is a concern.”
“Probably the occasion being, you know, part of an Asia Cup, and not that often that India-Pakistan play each other as well. So maybe the whole pressure got to him a little bit, I would say. But he is still a quality player.
“Pakistan did miss him with the bat because Rizwan and him at the top are a very, very consistent opening pair. The success of Pakistan over the last two years has been on that foundation, where all the big-hitters come in the middle and they (Babar and Rizwan) give that platform and they take it on.
“That’s something that they missed, but all good players go through some lean patch. I’m sure he will go back and go through his processes and come back stronger.”
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Advice for Babar Azam on his form
While sharing the advice for the Pakistan captain, Jayawardena said, “When you have a quality player like that, try and not put pressure on him. I’m sure there would have been a lot of discussion about his form in the Asia Cup and all that. But leading into the World Cup, you want your best player to be confident and relaxed, going into the World Cup.”
“So as long as they are not putting undue pressure on him, that’s the important thing. Being the captain and being the best batsman in your team, it is not an easy task. That’s something that he has to live up to,” he added.
