Babar’s decline is no longer a quiet problem – it has become a glaring reality. His failure in the third ODI against Western India only strengthened this painful truth. Pakistan was omitted at only 92 runs in 29.2 breaks, which suffered from a humiliating defeat of 202-Run-one of the most difficult losses in the history of ODI in the country.
The collapse was fast and brutal: three of the first four Pakistani four doughs were released on ducks inside nine overs. Saim Ayub fell on the third ball, Abdullah Shafique followed without scoring, and Captain Mohammad Rizwan left for the gold duck for the third over.
Babar’s contribution deepened the darkness – LBW to nine escapes of 23 balls – expanded its international century drought to 72 shifts, the longest since 2023. The problem takes deeper than a bad form.
Since January 2024, Babar’s striking rate is 77.62, the second slowest among the dough of a full member, while Rizwan is even slower to 74.94. The slug approach of senior dough reflects greater problems beyond individual failure.
Should Babar be dropped? Maybe. But is the removal of one player enough to fix the team plagued by poor planning, the unpredictable selection and confused leadership? Can a Pakistani cricket actually recover by chasing scapegoats, or is the real challenge to convert the system itself?
Babar is the only constant
We will see: If you are considering the mission of Babar Azam to open the launch – no. His statistics clearly show that they are doing well in the middle order, not at the top.
Since his debut, Babar played 127 matches and scored 6,116 runs in an impressive 56.11. These dominant numbers come mainly from the middle order. On the other hand, his record as an opener tells another story: only seven shifts, a modest average of 25.00 and only one century.
If Babar stays in the team, play it where he plays the best – right in the heart of the lineup. Don’t mess with a proven formula.
Since the debut of Babar in 2015, he has established himself as a leading run of the score between unopened in Odi, Pakistan. In 127 matches Babar gathered impressive 6 116 runs on average 56.11, including 19 centuries and 36 half -lives.
What stands out is a huge gap between Babar and other highest running shooter among the unopened, Mohammad Rizwan, who scored only 2,629 runs-less than half of Babar’s total. Among the other six unopened with more than 1,000 runs since the debut of Babar, the three-Shoaib Malik, Sarfaraz Ahmed and Mohammad hafeez-retired.
Most run Pakistani unopened since the debut of Odi Babar Azama
Babar Azam: Matches 127, running 6116, average 56.11, highest score 158
Mohammad Rizwan: Matches 91, running 2629, average 41.07, highest score 131*
Shaaib Malik: Matches 69, running 1896, average 38.69, highest score 101*
Mohammad hafeez: Matches 54, running 1788, average 38.86, highest score 103
Sarfaraz ahmed: Matches 74, running 1629, average 37.02, highest score 105
Agha Salman: Matches 41, running 1116, average 39.85, highest score 134
Imad Wasim: Matches 55, running 986, average 42.86, highest score 63*
Haris Sohail: Matches 23, running 975, average 46.42, highest score 130
Kamran vs imam
Imam-ul-haq and kamrran Ghulam have undoubtedly been supplied in 50-over format in the last year, but the impending question remains: are they really a solution? Despite his two centuries in England, Imam has accumulated 331 runs from just three matches-the opening position.
Neither of his 75 ODIs fired in the middle order, which raises serious doubts. While Imam’s form can be impressive, he simply cannot enter Babar’s shoes. Its recent increase is not enough to indicate that it can fill in the void that leaves one of the best Pakistan.
On the other hand, Kamran Ghulam offers a flash of hope. After an exceptional run in the championship, he broke into the test side and even replaced Babar during the series against England. His potential of ODI was further reinforced by the blistering of 32-míče 63 against South Africa in Cape Town.
The lack of consistency, however, led to his expulsion and he completely missed the trophy of champions. This inconsistency is a disturbing sign – one that undermines its potential as a reliable replacement for Babar.
With these two options on the table, Pakistan faces an alarming lack of viable compensation for Babar. Yes, Babar has been fighting for a form lately, but let’s not forget: he is still statistically one of the best Pakistan, and very little is even remotely close to his character.
Babar discarding may seem easier, but the hard reality is that replacing it could prove to be an even greater and more complicated challenge for selectors. The path forward is murky and the pressure moves.
– ends
Published:
Kingshuk Kusari
Published on:
August 14, 2025
