Former Pakistan cricketer turned commentator, Ramiz Raja, has pointed out that Pakistan's captain, Babar Azam, appears uncomfortable when facing spin bowling at the start of his innings. He has advised Babar to make a strong comeback with a century.
In the ICC World Cup 2023, Babar has played seven matches, scoring 216 runs at an average of 30.85, with three half-centuries to his name. Notably, he has been dismissed by spinners on five occasions, with Colin Ackermann, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Noor Ahmad, Tabraiz Shamsi, and Adam Zampa getting him out.
Ramiz, speaking to Star Sports, suggested that Babar should incorporate sweep shots into his play to combat spinners on turning tracks. He mentioned, "If you want to find fault in his batting, it's his batting against spin upfront when he starts the innings. He is not as fluent as he is when facing pace."
He went on to speculate whether it's a footwork issue, a mental block, or a lack of options due to not playing the sweep shot. According to Ramiz, playing the sweep shot is essential on slower pitches.
Babar's struggles against spinners have been a major challenge for the Pakistan team in the ongoing World Cup. Ramiz believes that getting out in this manner affects a batsman's confidence.
He further advised, "All he needs to do is work his way through to a hundred where he faces pace, spin, and feels comfortable about his role. He is not entirely out of touch; he is still middling the ball, but it's just that when he begins his innings against spin, he looks a little jittery."
Pakistan's victory against Bangladesh, where they won by seven wickets, has placed them in fifth position on the points table, with a chance of qualifying for the semi-finals. Their next match will be against New Zealand on Saturday at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore.
(With Agency Inputs)
ALSO READ | Men's ODI WC: Shaheen Afridi becomes fastest pace bowler to claim 100 ODI wickets
ALSO READ | Men’s ODI WC: I never thought of scoring so many hundreds in these 12 years: Virat Kohli
