ICC World Cup 2023: Why Number 1 ODI Batter Babar Azam Is Failing To Perform? Ramiz Raja Decodes

Raja suggests that Babar should incorporate the sweep shot into his batting arsenal to counter high-quality spin bowling consistently.

Babar Azam in action.

Source : Getty

Ever since arriving in India for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, Pakistan's captain, Babar Azam, has struggled to find his form with the bat. Despite getting off to promising starts in several instances, he has consistently fallen short of converting them into significant innings. Ramiz Raja, a legendary figure in Pakistan cricket, stepped into the role of a cricket pundit to analyse the possible factors contributing to Babar's poor form. 

Ramiz Raja has observed that Pakistan's captain, Babar Azam, encounters some discomfort when facing spin bowling at the beginning of his innings during the ICC Men’s World Cup 2023. So far in seven matches, Babar has accumulated 216 runs with an average of 30.85 and three half-centuries. He has been dismissed by spinners on five occasions, falling to bowlers like Colin Ackermann, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Noor Ahmad, Tabraiz Shamsi, and Adam Zampa.

In the recent match against Bangladesh at Kolkata's Eden Gardens, Babar scored nine runs from 16 balls. While Pakistan were in a commanding position, he attempted to take on Mehidy but ended up getting caught by Mahmudullah Riyad at long on.

Raja suggests that Babar should incorporate the sweep shot into his batting arsenal to counter high-quality spin bowling consistently.

"If you want to find fault in his batting, it's his batting against spin upfront when he starts the innings. He is not as fluent as he is when he is facing pace. I don't know whether it's his footwork whether it's in his mind, or whether he doesn't have too many options because he doesn't play the sweep shot. On slow pitches, you need to play the sweep shot," Raja commented during a chat on Star Sports.

Raja further pointed out, “Every time he has been aggressive, he’s gotten out as well. Against Afghanistan, he hit a massive six and then got out just at the wrong time. So the confidence builds and it goes flat,”

He added, "All he needs to do is work his way through to a hundred where he faces pace, spin, and feels comfortable about his role. He is not entirely out of touch, he is still middling the ball, but it’s that when he begins his innings against spin, he looks just a little bit jittery."

Pakistan managed to defeat Bangladesh by seven wickets, keeping their hopes of getting a semi-final berth alive in the tournament. They successfully chased down the total of 205, finishing with 17.3 overs to spare. Pakistan's upcoming match is against New Zealand on November 4 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore.