Aaqib Javed: “Babar has gotten good starts, but he needs to go deeper”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan head coach Aaqib Javed has admitted that batsman Babar Azam has to do a better job at converting his starts into big scores.
This has been one of Azam’s biggest problems as of late, which has prolonged his run of poor form.
During the recent ODI tri-series against New Zealand and South Africa, he made scores of 10, 23 and 29, proving the point Aaqib is trying to make.
Azam was then involved in the 2025 Champions Trophy and amassed 87 runs in two matches, which included a top score of 64, at an average of 43.50.
With the 30-year-old being one of Pakistan’s elite batsmen, Aaqib pointed out he has to stay at the crease for a long period of time and avoid getting dismissed early.
“Babar has gotten good starts, but he needs to go deeper,” he was quoted as saying by A Sports.
Pakistan lost to New Zealand and India in the Champions Trophy, which resulted in them getting eliminated in the group stage.
Their final game against Bangladesh was washed out, meaning they ended their campaign without a single win.
Next up for Pakistan 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