Former Pakistan captain Younis Khan has advised Babar Azam to take a leaf out of Virat Kohli's book amid lack of form in international cricket. Babar who has been out of form since ODI World Cup 2023 managed to score just 64 runs in the two-Test series against Bangladesh which Pakistan lost at home. Younis understands that Babar must be feeling the high expectations from fans and wants him to not focus on social media.
"There are high expectations from Babar. Players should use social media wisely, but their real answers should come through their performances with the bat and ball. He (Babar) needs to focus on his fitness and work ethic because opportunities like these don't come around often," said Younis at a press event in Pakistan.
Babar was back among runs as he scored 76 runs from 79 balls in a winning cause for Stallions against Lions in the ongoing domestic Champions One-Day Cup 2024. Babar is playing under Mohammad Haris’ captaincy in the Champions Cup. Amid criticism, Younis wants Babar to relinquish captaincy like Kohli.
"He has achieved a lot at such a young age, but what he needs to know what he wants to achieve in the future. Captaincy is a small thing, performance is what matters. Look at Virat Kohli. He chose to step down from captaincy on his own terms, and now he's breaking records worldwide. This shows that playing for the country should be the priority. If there's any energy left, then play for yourself," the 46-year-old added.
Babar’s run-drought
Babar has not scored a half-century in Test cricket since December 2022. He has gone 16 innings without registering a fifty-plus score.
There is uncertainty over Babar’s captaincy future in white-ball cricket after Pakistan lost to USA in T20 World Cup 2024 and were knocked out of group stage. Earlier, they could not make it to the semifinals of ODI World Cup 2023.
Babar’s Test record vs England
Babar will have a chance to prove his mettle and regain form when Pakistan host England for a three-Test series. He has a good record against England scoring 611 runs from seven Tests including one century and six fifties.
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