Champions Trophy 2025: 3 reasons why Babar Azam might not be able to perform well

Babar Azam is one of the best batters since his debut. Especially in ODIs, he has a good record and is Pakistan’s most consistent batter. However, the last few years have not been good for him as far as his batting is concerned. His captaincy wasn’t brilliant either which cost him his batting form. Babar had the worst period of his career after Pakistan’s poor show in the ODI World Cup 2023.

Babar resigned from captaincy and played as a pure batter for months. As his replacements couldn’t do the job well, Azam was renamed as the skipper. Even that didn’t work. Babar’s own bad form meant he was dropped from the team. The Champions Trophy 2025 might be a great opportunity for Azam to show his ability as a batter at the highest level. The crowd will be backing Azam and Pakistan.

Reasons that could stop Babar Azam from having a good campaign at the Champions Trophy 2025:

Change in batting position

Babar Azam was one of the best batters at number 3 in ODIs. His style of batting was suitable for the middle-overs phase where his ability to find the gaps to rotate strike and score runs was great. However, after a series of failures at number 3, Babar has been asked to open the innings for his side.

While Saim Ayub’s injury has been a big reason behind the move, Babar might not be the best option to open. He isn’t someone who can play aerial shots at will to make use of the field restrictions. The lack of runs in the first 10 overs could put him under pressure which might force him to throw his wicket away.

Pressure to perform

Babar has been one of the best batters in the world since his debut. For the same reason, he is compared to the best batters like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Kane Williamson, and others. While Babar did not bother about the comparisons early in his career, he could be bothered about the comparisons at this stage in his career.

Azam seems to be under more pressure to be in someone else’s shoes than to be the best version of himself. While Azam is more than capable of returning to form, his fear of not living up to the expectations of the fans could be a reason behind his bad form for a long time and could affect him in the CT 2025 as well.

Long lean patch

Babar has been able to score a decent amount of runs. However, his strike rate has not been up to the mark. Since 2023, he has 1355 runs in 33 innings at a batting average of 45.17 and a batting SR of 83.03 including two hundred. His form has been bad against the top teams in the world like India, Australia, South Africa, England, and New Zealand in the period.

Babar’s numbers since August 2023 have been worse. In the period, his only solitary hundred came against Nepal. In the last 2 years, his form has deteriorated badly where he averages 41.43 and has an SR of 77.54 despite playing mostly on good surfaces. While these aren’t exactly bad numbers, for someone of Babar’s calibre, one would’ve loved better numbers.

Disclaimer: This Exclusive News is based on the author’s understanding, analysis, and instinct. As you review this information, consider the points mentioned and form your own conclusions.

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