February 9, 2025: Opening batter Fakhar Zaman has expressed confidence in Pakistan’s premier batter Babar Azam, backing him to rediscover his lost form in the upcoming fixtures despite recent struggles. Since returning from South Africa, Babar’s performance has dropped significantly, with his recent outings leaving much to be desired.
Although Babar had a promising start in South Africa, scoring three consecutive fifties in the Test series, his form took a sharp decline after the West Indies series in Multan last month. Babar continued to face scrutiny for his inconsistency, especially during the first match of the ODI tri-series between Pakistan and New Zealand, where he was dismissed for a scratchy 10 off 23 balls.
In Pakistan’s 331-run chase, Babar failed to deliver, and his search for a century continues since his 151-run knock against Nepal in August 2023. Fakhar, who opened alongside Babar in the tri-series, addressed Babar’s recent struggles in a post-match press conference, saying, “It happens in cricket, but the class and legacy of Babar are such that you can not say much about one match. You will see that he will perform in the upcoming matches.”
Babar’s inconsistency seemed to begin with the first Test match against the West Indies, where he scored just 8 and 5. In the second Test, Babar’s weakness against spin was exposed by Gudkehs Motie and Kevin Sinclair, leaving him with scores of 1 and 31.
Fakhar, who himself put up a brave fight during the match, scored a brilliant 84 off 69 balls with seven fours and four sixes at a strike rate of 121.74. Despite his excellent knock, Pakistan fell short in their chase, and Fakhar acknowledged his disappointment with the loss, but emphasized that he was not worried about missing a century. “I am disappointed with the loss, but I am not worried about not scoring a century,” he said.
Fakhar’s support for Babar reflects the faith and belief in the senior batter’s abilities to bounce back and lead Pakistan’s charge in the upcoming matches.