Ramiz Raja: “Because he is picking [the] length a bit later, then he is a bit stuck where the ball will go”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ramiz Raja said batsman Babar Azam looks a little unsure and gets “a bit stuck” when batting as he is picking the length of deliveries too late.
Given Azam’s poor run of form as of late, Ramiz noted that this is a key problem he has identified in the 29-year-old’s game at the moment.
He further pointed out that the 29-year-old isn’t coming forward when playing shots, which is making it harder for him to “score runs.
“As far as I have seen of Babar, when he has a slump or something, he gets a bit stuck there for long. There are some technical reasons as well, in Australia, he wasn’t getting fully forward and was playing from the crease. Because he is picking [the] length a bit later, then he is a bit stuck where the ball will go,” Ramiz told Cricwick.
In the recent three-match Test series against Australia, Azam was limited to 126 runs at an average of 21.
He then proceeded to make 213 runs, which included three fifties, at an average of 42.60 and a strike-rate of 142 in the five-match T20I series against New Zealand.
Azam will now captain the Peshawar Zalmi in the 2024 Pakistan Super League (PSL), which begins on February 17.
Peshawar Zalmi Squad for PSL 9: Babar Azam (captain), Rovman Powell, Saim Ayub, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Mohammad Haris, Aamer Jamal, Khurram Shahzad (partially available), Arshad Iqbal, Haseebullah, Gus Atkinson (partially available), Asif Ali, Naveen-ul-Haq (reserved), Salman Irshad, Arif Yaqoob, Umair Afridi, Dan Mousley, Mohammad Zeeshan, Waqar Salamkheil, Mehran Mumtaz, Luke Wood, Sufyan Muqeem, Shamar Joseph