‘Obviously an additional pressure…’: Mohammed Rizwan shares thoughts on Babar Azam ahead of Champions Trophy

Rizwan's views on Babar before Champions Trophy

Pakistan captain Mohammed Rizwan opened up and shared his views about the lean patch that Babar Azam is going through ahead of the much-,waited Champions Trophy, set to begin February 19. Rizwan believes that the former Pakistan captain will soon get his momentum back.

Babar Azam is currently suffering a series of dismal performance in his career, and his numbers have taken a strong affect in the past year. His ODI form was known to be the strongest that the format, has seen a steep decline. Since the 2023 Asia Cup, he has averaged at 42.90 in 23 games, which has dragged his average down from 59 to mid-50s.

In his first outing of the tri-nation series facing New Zealand, Babar got dismissed for just 10 runs. During Pakistan’s last outing against South Africa, Babar got a decent start, but then got dismissed shortly for just 23 runs.

“Babar has scored so many runs for Pakistan that we expect him to score a hundred in each game,” Rizwan was quoted by ESPNcricinfo as saying.

“If we don’t judge him by those extreme expectations, you’ll find he’s still chipping in and contributing valuably for us,” he added.

Rizwan believes that Babar has to face more pressure due to his past performances, where he used to play as a game-changer. Though technical flaws have not been noticeable, the examination on each of his innings has been extended.

“As a captain, I expect a lot more of him too because of all he has done in the past,” Rizwan continued.

“There is obviously an additional pressure because of it, and I’m sure he feels that too. But if you look at his innings in South Africa, he is still scoring runs. It’s not as if he has clear technical deficiencies, but he is still being tested. I am confident he’ll come out of it,” he concluded.

Babar’s performance has gone down a steep hill after he saw a promotion in his batting in the ODIs. Following Saim Ayub’s injury, the star batter is coming as an opener in the format, and will open in the Champions Trophy 2025 as well. Babar’s form is going to be a huge factor in deciding Pakistan’s success in the mega-event.