ICC rankings on mind? Fans slam slow Babar Azam in Champions Trophy opener

Babar Azam was criticised for his slow knock in Pakistan’s Champions Trophy opener against New Zealand on February 19 at the National Stadium in Karachi. After being asked to bat first, the Black Caps put up a massive score of 320 for five on the board. Babar opened the batting alongside Saud Shakeel, but failed to give Pakistan the momentum that they needed in the run-chase.

Champions Trophy Full Coverage

In the powerplay, Pakistan could only score 22 runs. To make it worse, they lost the early wickets of Saud Shakeel and Mohammad Rizwan. In the meantime, the required run rate had climbed to around 7.20, making life tougher and tougher for the Pakistani batters. Babar, during this while, kept rotating the strike and got to his half-century off 81 balls.

Pakistan vs New Zealand, Champions Trophy Updates

But Babar was unable to step on the gas as the required run-rate kept climbing at an alarming rate. Fans were not happy with how the former Pakistani batter approached his knock when Pakistan needed someone to play the big shots.

Earlier on Wednesday, Babar lost the No.1 ODI ranking to India’s Shubman Gill. One of the fans questioned if the ICC rankings were in his mind.

“Half the Pakistan inning is done! Just can’t seem to understand Babar Azam’s approach. Perhaps ICC rankings on mind?” wrote a fan.

Another fan said that Fakhar Zaman, who was injured, played with more intent than Babar.

“New Zealand are bowling tidily, but Pakistan aren’t even trying to put them under any pressure. Fakhar, who could barely move, had more intent than Babar Azam does,” the fan wrote.

One of the fans said that Babar should never be compared with Virat Kohli. “I’ve never seen a more selfish player than Babar Azam and people are comparing with Virat Kohli,” the fan wrote.

Here’s how the fans reacted to Babar Azam’s knock

Tune In