Former
Pakistan
captain
Babar Azam
scored 0 and 22 in the first Test against Bangladesh in Rawalpindi, which the hosts lost after a dramatic batting collapse on the final day. The defeat once again brought the knives out, with Babar's continued failure becoming the chief target.
"Lagta hai poore Pakistan ko koi aur masla nahi hai sivaye Babar Azam ki form ke (it seems the entire country doesn't have problem with anything except the form of Babar Azam)," said ex-Pakistan batsman and skipper Ramiz Raja on his YouTube channel, before he went on to lament the 10-wicket defeat.
It was Bangladesh's first ever Test win over Pakistan.
"Cricket is in our blood, but don't know for how long if we continue to lose matches like this in Test
cricket
," said Rameez.
Pakistan conceded a 117-run lead to Bangladesh in the first-innings and then were bowled out for just 146 on day five, which left the visitors just 30 required for a historic win, which their openers scored with ease.
Saud Shakel (141) and Mohammad Rizwan (171 not out) starred in the home team's first-innings total of 448 for 6 declared. But Bangladesh veteran Mushfiqur Rahim's epic 191 and contributions throughout the batting card helped the visitors post 565 all out in response.
"Fan following increases with wins and fans identify themselves with success stories," said Ramiz in the video. "Babar Azam has had a famous success story. There is no doubt that he has been a big player in all three formats.
"Unfortunately what happens is when you lose a match and you haven't scored runs and if you are Babar Azam, then you become a headline -- how did we lose? What did he do? What was his contribution? And then this is the era of social media. Jiska dil chahe woh kisi ki bhi patloon utar sakta hai (anybody can criticise and ridicule anyone)...this should be discouraged as much as possible."
He then went on to advise what Babar has to do in order to shut the mouth of his critics, besides the obvious, i.e., scoring runs.
"Babar warmed up to Test cricket a bit late; it took him two years to score a Test century and then came a period of consistency, but it's difficult to maintain your form across formats," Ramiz said.
"So what does he has to do? First, avoid social media. Second, stay in the moment. When you are not able to score runs, it becomes a mental game and you start second-guessing. 'Maybe I will get out, maybe I can reach the 20s first. What will happen now?' So you start worrying, and that worrisome look is evident on Babar's face.
"He is trying hard...so frustration will be there. What's important is how he is batting. Scoring runs is one thing but is he happy with the way he is batting?...The last innings he played, he was bowled off an inside-edge. It means your bat angles are not right, you lose your frame because you aren't spending much time on the crease," he opined.
"So he has to keep his mind in the present moment, not think about the failure, forget the past. But this is tough, no matter how big a sports person you are. To get your form back by staying in the present moment is the toughest thing to do...because you are backing yourself, playing for self-pride, playing for the country and also playing for the fans, who have huge expectations.
"So your character becomes critical and your failure becomes the front-page headline."
He added that Babar needs to work on his footwork.
"If you are playing forward, commit fully; if on the backfoot, then use the crease. Practice hook and pull shots a lot, because then you focus on the ball a lot."
"Play with a positive intent."
English (US) ·