Following a series of disappointing innings, Pakistan’s one of the most talented batters Babar Azam has found himself under intense criticism in recent months. Since the ODI World Cup 2023, Babar’s performance has been below the high standards comparing to the ones he set during the earlier stages of his career.
Lately, he has been grappling with inconsistency, leading to widespread criticism. Moreover, Babar has repeatedly failed to convert starts into big scores, which has also caused a lot of problems for the team. Even, in the ongoing Champions Trophy, Babar has been unimpressive, registering repeated failures with the bat.
Babar’s last ODI century was against Nepal in August 2023 and since then he has been unable to score a ton, recording only seven half-centuries. Pakistan, meanwhile, have been knocked out of the Champions Trophy after losing their first two matches against New Zealand and India respectively.
In the midst of Babar’s struggles, former Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar, one of the most respected voices in world cricket, has come forward with advice for the troubled Pakistani star.
"If you ask me about technique, I'll just tell one thing to Babar Azam. Right now, his stance is wide. If he reduces the width between his legs, then there will be two things. Firstly, when your feet are spread out, you face difficulty in moving front or back. Secondly, when you are balanced, then your height increases, allowing you to have a better judgement of the bounce, and movement of ball. When you are more upright, you have better understanding. If he tries to do that, then the run-making ability that he had will come back. If he does that, it will not only provide joy to the people of Pakistan but also the whole world,” Gavaskar said on Basit Ali’s YouTube channel.
Pakistan, who have been eliminated from the tournament, will face Bangladesh in their last group stage match on Thursday in Rawalpindi.