Ahmed Shehzad: “Recently, Babar’s form is not that good, and yet you are changing his batting position, which, in my opinion, is unjust”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan cricketer Ahmed Shehzad believes promoting Babar Azam from number three to an opener was “unjust” and an unnecessary experiment overall.
Azam replaced Saim Ayub at the top of the order after the latter fractured his ankle during Pakistan’s two-Test series against South Africa.
The 30-year-old opened the batting in the ODI tri-series against New Zealand and South Africa, but could only make 62 runs in three matches at an average of 20.66.
He performed better in the 2025 Champions Trophy, amassing 87 runs in two games, which included a top score of 64, at an average of 43.50.
Despite this, Shehzad feels Azam should have remained at number three since he has been excelling at that position for years.
“Now he has been promoted from number three to an opener, which should not have been done because he has not scored many runs recently. If his confidence was high, then such an experiment might have worked,” he said on his YouTube channel as quoted by A Sports.
“Recently, Babar’s form is not that good, and yet you are changing his batting position, which, in my opinion, is unjust.
“I personally believe that ODIs is the most suited format for Babar Azam because his game is natural in this format and he does not need to improvise much. So, over the years, it has suited him well, especially at the number three position.
“Although ODI cricket has evolved over the years, since we lose wickets at the top, Babar, at number three, used to stabilise the innings, which was his role.”
Pakistan failed to get out of the group stage in the Champions Trophy as they lost to New Zealand and India.
Their final match against Bangladesh was washed out, meaning they were unable to win a single game throughout the tournament.
Pakistan’s next assignment will be a tour of New Zealand, which will consist of five T20Is and three ODIs that will be played from March 16 to April 5.
Pakistan Squad for T20I Series against New Zealand: Hasan Nawaz, Omair Yousuf, Mohammad Haris, Abdul Samad, Salman Ali Agha (captain), Irfan Khan Niazi, Khushdil Shah, Shadab Khan, Abbas Afridi, Jahandad Khan, Mohammad Ali, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Sufiyan Muqeem, Abrar Ahmed, Usman Khan
Pakistan Squad for ODI Series against New Zealand: Mohammad Rizwan (captain), Salman Ali Agha, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Akif Javed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Imam-ul-Haq, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Irfan Khan Niazi, Naseem Shah, Sufiyan Muqeem, Tayyab Tahir
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