Time is running out for Babar Azam. He is blessed with talent but has been on the wane for the last four years or so. Whether scoring runs or not, Babar Azam’s name is the most mentioned among cricket fans, former players and the media.
Fans throng the stadiums to watch him, wishing for him to score big and win matches for Pakistan. But they have left the stadiums unsatisfied. Babar has been a shadow of himself in the recent tri-series, managing just 118 runs in five outings at the crease.
When Pakistan faced Sri Lanka in the final of the tri-series, fans had expected their adored star to deliver on his home ground in a big match.
But, alas, it did not happen. Babar fell for a duck. Had another big star, Fakhar Zaman, not smashed a century, the fans would have left midway through the final.
After a less-than-impressive tour of the Caribbean and England, Babar returned to the first-class circuit to regain his touch. But his four innings in a first-class match – his first domestic match in seven years – showed that he has not been at his best at the crease. He managed scores of four and 12, followed by 21 in each of the next two innings, making 58 runs in all!
The 22-yard pitch and the crease have been his domain. He rose to number one in T20Is and ODIs and number two in Tests. But he suffered a century drought in ODIs that lasted 83 matches and 807 days before he scored a century against Sri Lanka last year.
A century has still eluded him in Tests for 40 innings now, with his last one coming in December 2022.
Babar needs to address this loss of form, or lack of consistency. Not only for his own sake, but also for Pakistan, which needs his runs at a time when the team is struggling badly in Tests.
As is commonly said, talent is just the starting point. Talent is one thing, while skill is another. Skill is something you develop through hard work.
You turn your talent into a refined skill through hours and hours of practice. Hollywood actor Will Smith argues that having talent is not enough.
“The separation of talent and skill is one of the most misunderstood concepts. Talent you have naturally. Skill is only developed by hours and hours and hours of beating on your craft.”
It would be unjust to say that Babar is lacking in hard work in any way. As an aspiring young cricketer, he used to be the first to enter the nets and the last to leave.
He has been a role model for players in the Pakistan team, attaining the highest accolades. But ever since his first stint as captain ended in 2023, there has been some self-doubt. It is commonly observed that self-doubt kills talent.
Babar must realise that he needs to believe in himself. He is different from others because, in terms of talent, he is unique and blessed. But, most importantly, he should always remind himself that he does not have to do what everyone else is doing.
Babar has a responsibility to develop the talent with which he is blessed. Since his Under-19 days, Babar has been highly successful, particularly in ODIs and T20Is, where his averages and rankings have often peaked at the top.
He was often compared with Indian maestro Virat Kohli. Babar possesses sublime technique, just like his contemporaries. Analysts and fans often compare the two because of their elegant batting styles and high early-career averages, but there are several key factors that set them apart.
They have both often carried their teams’ batting line-ups, but Kohli is luckier in the sense that he has other batters in the team who can step up if the master falls short. Babar did not have that luxury.
The last three years have been very tough for Babar. He was dropped from the Test side during the series against England, a year after he stepped down as captain of all formats.
His place in the T20I side was shaky as runs and good innings deserted him. His strike rate was questioned because it did not meet the demands of the modern-day, high-intensity style of the shorter format. So much so that he was not sent in to bat in the match against Namibia at the T20 World Cup in February this year.
Pakistan’s head coach, Mike Hesson, was very blunt. “Babar was not the best option to walk in at that specific juncture when aggressive, power-packed hitting was needed to accelerate the score,” was what he said at the time.
With new players such as Hasan Nawaz, Arafat Minhas and Abdul Samad being tried, and others waiting in the wings, Babar’s position in his favourite format is also under threat.
Being a very introverted and shy person, Babar has also not consulted former greats such as Javed Miandad, Inzamam-ul-Haq or Mohammad Yousuf.
These greats have offered to help from time to time and are either just a call away, in the case of Miandad, or a 15-minute drive away in Lahore. It would be advisable for Babar to speak to them about the technical deficiencies he has been facing and how they could be overcome.
With the ODI World Cup less than a year away, time is running out for Babar. His fans, as well as the Pakistan team, want to see a firing and scoring Babar.
