NEW DELHI: Babar Azam’s long-awaited return to three-figure form should have marked the beginning of a revival. Instead, within days of breaking a drought of 807 days and 83 innings of centuries, the Pakistan superstar was thrown into a new round of scrutiny – fined by the ICC for a conduct breach and dismissed for a duck in the T20I tri-series opener against Zimbabwe in Rawalpindi on Tuesday.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SIGN UP NOW!The emotional swing was strong. In the same week he celebrated a cathartic century against Sri Lanka, Babar departed against Zimbabwe needing stability at No.3, only to be trapped LBW for a three-ball duck by Brad Evans. It continued a worrying pattern: this was Babar’s third duck in his last six T20Is and also moved him past Shahid Afridi for the most ducks by a Pakistani batsman in T20Is (nine).
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Adding to the turmoil, the ICC had earlier announced that Babar had been fined 10% of his match fee for “abuse of cricket equipment” after hitting the stumps with the bat while being dismissed in the third ODI vs Sri Lanka. It was his first offense in 24 months for which he earned money.The irony is hard to miss. Babar’s triumphant century last week – his 20th in ODIs – should have silenced critics after nearly two years of questions over form and leadership. Instead, the 31-year-old now finds himself making new headlines, once again questioning his trajectory.
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Former PCB chairman Ramiz Raja, who recently met Babar, revealed the batter’s private frustration with relentless scrutiny. “I met him in a cafe and he expressed his frustration at how he had to face criticism, personal comments about his place in the team and his performances,” Ramiz said on his YouTube channel. His advice was clear: “Be patient and show restraint… your only job is to perform on the field.”Ramiz said he was “very happy” to see Babar back among the runs and insisted that the strike debates should not cloud his game. “He’s got all the shots … he just needs to hit longer.In Pakistan’s case, though, it’s imminent: after a much-needed high, their first-class batter is suddenly back under the microscope – again.
