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India's legendary spinner R Ashwin has come down heavily on Pakistan's star batter Babar Azam after latter's slow innings during New Zealand in Champions Trophy 2025's opener. Babar Azam's sluggish fifty cost Pakistan match against New Zealand as the Men in Green suffered a 60-run defeat in Karachi on February 19 in their campaign opener. Babar's 90-balls 64, which came at a strike rate of just 71.11 while chasing a target of 321, has drawn flak from fans and analysts alike. His innings included six fours and one six, but also a staggering 52 dot balls, contributing to Pakistan's slow start of 22/2 in the first ten overs.
R Ashwin questions Babar Azam's intent
Meanwhile, R Ashwin, on his YouTube channel 'Ash Ki Baat,' questioned Babar's intent and approach. Ashwin is still trying to figure out the thought process behind Babar's knock, especially given the aggressive approach of other Pakistani batsmen like Salman Ali Agha and Khushdil Shah.
“I’m a big fan of Babar Azam. Sometimes, as cricketers, when we want to safeguard our reputation, it becomes a problem. Reputation is not ahead of the team. Babar's knock was very difficult to watch," Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
"Intent kahan tha. Ghar pe rakh ke aaya tha kya? (Where was the intent? Did you keep it at your home? I actually feel that, coming into the match, Babar Azam didn’t create shot options for himself. He doesn’t have any shots, and there’s no shot for square of the wicket, no sweep, no reverse sweep, bottom hand is closed. There are no shots in his armory. Such innings weren’t even played in the 1990s,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
Ashwin also pointed out the contrast between Babar's approach and that of Fakhar Zaman. He said that even with a muscle injury, Fakhar Zaman displayed a greater willingness to take risks than Babar Azam, who was fully fit. However, Fakhar was later ruled out of the remainder of the tournament
“What did they play yesterday? In the first 10 overs, they scored 20 runs without any shame. Salman Ali Agha, what a batting display! Tayyab Tahir, too, is aggressive, giving them a good platform to play. Babar is charging down the ground to defend the ball, he’s just playing dot ball everywhere. For this, he could have just gotten out."
"What makes me sad is that I agree he’s out of form. He wants to return to form. But there are only three matches in CT. Even if one is gone, you are almost knocked out. It was the same Pakistan that chased 350 recently. How can you score just 20 runs in the first powerplay? It wasn’t powerplay, it was poor play," Ashwin further stated.
“Later on, Michael Bracewell is bowling, Glenn Phillips is bowling, and even Fakhar Zaman is trying to hit six, but our man [Babar] is just charging to score nothing. At least in anger, he could have hit something. After he got to 50, he scored a six. I'm flabbergasted when you have such a good game and play with this intent. I couldn’t watch the match; it was bad," he concluded.
Babar's real test will be in Pakistan's next clash against their arch-rivals India, which is scheduled to be played at the Dubai International stadium on February 23. Pakistan's loss to New Zealand has put them in a must-win situation for their remaining Champions Trophy matches. They now face a crucial encounter against India followed by a clash with Bangladesh on February 27 in Rawalpindi.
