‘Pakistan is damaging his confidence' - Basit Ali urges PCB to rest Babar Azam

Pakistan’s star batter and former captain, Babar Azam has been in the headlines for his fluctuating form in Test cricket. The former cricketer Basit Ali has urged for resting Babar during the ongoing series against the West Indies could help protect his confidence and allow him to regroup.

Pakistan's Test campaign against the West Indies have already lost significance in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC). With Australia and South Africa already securing their spots in the WTC final, Pakistan’s series against the Windies is a dead rubber. The home side, however, made a strong start by winning the first Test in Multan by 127 runs. Despite the team’s victory, Babar struggled on a tough track, scoring just 8 and 5 in the two innings.

Babar’s recent red-ball form has been underwhelming. After failing to register a half-century since the start of 2023, he regained some rhythm during Pakistan’s tour of South Africa, notching three fifties across four ODI innings.

However, his struggles in home conditions have drawn concerns, especially after a mere performance on a rank turner in the first Test against the West Indies. Ali called out the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to consider resting Babar for the second Test, citing the damaging impact of his continued struggles in difficult conditions.

“Pakistan is damaging Babar’s confidence when he has just regained his rhythm. Since Pakistan won’t qualify for the World Test Championship (WTC) final, it would be wise to rest him. If you want to keep him in the Playing XI, prepare better pitches. If the pitch is similar to the first Test, it could harm the players’ confidence further. Babar struggled in the first Test, but he found his form in South Africa, scoring runs in both ODIs and Tests,” former player Basit Ali said on his YouTube channel.

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The Multan pitch, which provided significant turn and uneven bounce, put challenges for batters from both sides. Pakistan’s spinners Sajid Khan and Noman Ali capitalized on the conditions.