'Still batting in 1980s': Babar Azam digs his own grave with 52 dot balls in Pakistan's 321-run chase vs New Zealand

Babar Azam continues to amuse. On one hand, his legion of fans fiercely want him involved in the Fab Four debate, but on the other, his performances demand otherwise. Struggling for form for over two years now, Babar's snail-paced innings against New Zealand in the opening match of the Champions Trophy 2025 proves his detractors right. How else do you justify the 'best batter’ in Pakistan, a former captain playing out an astonishing 52 dot balls in a run chase of 321? Simply unexplainable. Babar Azam played a very unusual innings(AFP)

An injury to Fakhar Zaman meant he wouldn't have come out to bat unless Pakistan were two down. With one of their heavy power hitters pretty much out of the equation, Babar should have all the more shown an aggressive approach. But alas! Instead, besides an early boundary, he went into a shell and didn't attempt to break free of it even as New Zealand tightened the screws and shot the required run rate to almost 10 an over.

Babar completed his 50, but at what cost? 81 balls, to be precise. It was his fifth-slowest half-century in ODIs. By the time he completed it, Pakistan were pretty much out of the game and New Zealand winning was a forgone conclusion. Babar's painstakingly slow batting left many cricket experts and former batters baffled. One of the most critical remarks came from former India batter Mohammad Kaif, who felt that Babar's batting was as outdated as in the 1980s. "Babar still plays ODI cricket from 1980s. Just two boundaries against part-time spinners, milking runs in middle overs. This doesn't work in modern cricket," he wrote.

Below are some posts from them on their official X handle:

Even Australian great Matthew Hayden, who has previously worked in the Pakistan coaching set-up was at a loss for words. "The question I have got is where has this intent been from the start. We are 33 overs into the innings and the run-rate required is above 10 and it's the first time right throughout the innings we have seen real intent," he said while doing commentary.

Pakistan lost the game inside first 10 overs itself

Earlier in the day, Babar lost the number one position in the ICC ODI rankings for batters to India's Shubman Gill, and his innings just hours later, wouldn't help him. More importantly, Babar's innings lost the game for Pakistan. With him opening the innings with Saim Ayub, Pakistan needed their most experienced batter to give them a cracking start. But instead of getting off to a flyer, Pakistan laboured to 22/2 at the end of the 10-over mark. Pakistan played 162 dot ball, equivalent to 27 overs. Even a miracle wouldn't have saved them.

Babar's innings proved to be the difference between the two teams as it was during this very stage that Tom Latham and Glenn Phillips switched gears en route to one's century and the other's fifty after Will Young had already set the platform with his 2nd ODI hundred.

The 60-run defeat places hosts Pakistan in a precarious position. The defending champions must defeat India on Sunday to stay alive in the tournament. Otherwise, even a win against Bangladesh may not be enough, as only two teams from Group A will proceed to the semi-final. If Bangladesh find a way to defeat India, though – which they did at the 2023 Asia Cup, Pakistan can breathe a sigh of relief.

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