Umar Akmal: “The one we call the ‘King’, Babar needs to score bigger runs. A lot of responsibility has fallen on him”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan batsman Umar Akmal said if Babar Azam is the “King”, he “needs to score bigger runs”.
Azam has struggled to post big scores on a consistent basis, which has become a major concern for the men in green as he is one of their top batsmen.
Recently, the 30-year-old was involved in the ODI tri-series against New Zealand and South Africa, where he made 62 runs in three matches at an average of 20.66.
He did 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.
“The one we call the ‘King’, Babar needs to score bigger runs. A lot of responsibility has fallen on him,” Akmal was quoted as saying by PakPassion on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Pakistan lost to New Zealand and India in the Champions Trophy, which resulted in them crashing out in the group stage.
Their final game against Bangladesh was washed out, meaning the men in green failed to win a single match throughout their entire campaign.
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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