Pakistan pondering Babar Azam’s promotion up the order in Tests

Pakistan lost their opening Test against Australia at The Gabba in Brisbane by an innings and five runs. Even as there weren’t many positives from the visitors’ viewpoint, Babar Azam stood tall and staved off the Aussie attack with grit and determination. Albeit he got out cheaply in the first innings, the Lahore-born made amends in the second, scoring his second Test century.

The Young Turk was involved in a 132-run stand along with Mohammad Rizwan, who scored 95, in Pakistan’s second innings. Though it only delayed the inevitable, their partnership gave the fans something to cheer for. However, the fact that Babar batted at number five in both the innings, raised a lot of eyebrows, including former Aussie batsman Ian Chappell.

Azhar Ali, the Pakistan Test skipper, also had his say on Babar’s batting position. He said that the previous management, which included coach Mickey Arthur and others, assigned him a lower slot in order for him to settle down.

We all know how good Babar Azam is, says Azhar

“We all know how talented Babar Azam is. He has performed well in Tests as well in the recent past. He is improving all the time. The previous management had assigned him a lower number in the batting order so that he got started [in the longest former] but no one had any doubts in his ability,” Azhar was quoted as saying in Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) podcast.

But since Babar has now gotten a taste of the longest format, Azhar put forth Pakistan’s plans of promoting him up the order. “But now we are thinking to promote him up the order gradually. We all know how good he is but we also need to keep him at a position where he keeps on scoring,” the 34-year-old Azhar added.

Barring Babar and Rizwan, the rest of their batting was pretty disappointing. Even their bowlers were put to the swords, especially by the hosts’ top order. The visiting team will have a chance for redemption in the second Test at the Adelaide Oval, starting Friday, November 29. It’s a Day-Night affair and will be second pink-ball Test Pakistan will be playing in Australia.

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