Pakistan coach backs Babar Azam as opener for CT 2025
Pakistan head coach Aqib Javed has backed star batter Babar Azam as opener for the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025.
Several former cricketers criticised the team management’s move to promote the former Pakistan captain to the top position for the recently concluded tri-nation series and the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025.
The scrutiny intensified after Babar Azam returned with dismal batting numbers in the three games of the tri-series.
The right-handed batter could manage meagre scores of 10, 23 and 29 in three innings of the ongoing tri-nation series.
Amid the criticism, Pakistan head coach Aqib Javed showed confidence in the star batter, saying that he was due for a big inning in the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025.
“Babar has gotten good starts, but he needs to go deeper. He has an important innings due and I expect him to score in an important match for us,” said Javed after the tri-series final a day earlier.
According to Aqib Javed, the team management promoted Babar Azam to the opening slot as he mostly came to bat in the first over in the South Africa away series.
“The idea behind Babar’s promotion as an opener is that if you look at the away series against South Africa, he had to bat in the first over in all games,” he said.
“Then Saim got injured and he had to open in Tests too. These pitches don’t have that kind of bounce and seam movement that could trouble the batters at the start. We wanted our best batter to make good use of the powerplay, that suits us more,” Aqib Javed added.
It is to be noted here that Babar Azam primarily plays at No. 3, a batting position where he has amassed 5,957 runs in 123 ODIs at an average of 56, with 19 centuries and 23 fifties.
Pakistan squad for Champions Trophy 2025:
Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Tayyab Tahir, Mohammad Rizwan (c)(wk), Usman Khan (wk), Faheem Ashraf, Khushdil Shah, Salman Ali Agha (vc), Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah and Shaheen Shah Afridi.
