Agha Salman has expressed support for Babar Azam amid the latter's recent struggle with form. Despite expectations for the 29-year-old to play a crucial role for Pakistan in the Test series in Australia, he has faced challenges adapting to the conditions and the opposition's bowling attack.
Lahore-born Babar has accumulated 103 runs at an average of 20.60 with a top score of 41 in five innings across three matches.
Salman believes that it's just a temporary phase, expressing confidence that Babar will soon return to his best. He emphasises that the current rough patch "makes no difference."
"A bad patch can come upon any cricketer. After how much Babar Azam has performed for Pakistan, this little bad patch makes no difference. We're not concerned about his form, and he himself is aware of how to get out of these situations," Salman was quoted as saying in the press conference after the second day's play of the third Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
"The way that he's working on his batting, I think it's just a matter of time. Very soon you'll see a big hundred from him," he added.
Babar has been dismissed by Australian captain Pat Cummins three out of the five times he got out in the ongoing series. In the SCG Test, Australia are currently trailing by 197 runs with eight wickets in hand in their first innings. Overnight batters for the home team are Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith, following contributions from Usman Khawaja (47) and David Warner (34).
Earlier, Mohammad Rizwan and Aamer Jamal contributed 88 and 82 runs, respectively, helping Pakistan achieve a respectable total of 313 on the board.
Australia are presently in the lead in the 3-match series, having secured victories in the first two Tests held in Perth and Melbourne.
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