Babar Azam under fire, urged to take domestic route adviced to Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma

Former Pakistan captain Babar Azam slammed for poor form. (Photo: BCCI/X)

Pakistan’s star Babar Azam’s bad form in Test cricket continued on Sunday (October 12) as he was dismissed for 23 in the first Test against South Africa at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. It has now been over 34 months since he last scored a half-century, a streak that began when Pakistan took on New Zealand in the 2022–23 series. In 14 innings since then, Babar has managed only 232 runs at an average of 16.58.

Former Pakistan cricketer Salman Butt expressed his disappointment with Babar, lashing out at the ex-Pakistan captain on his official YouTube channel over his poor run of form. Interestingly, Babar is now facing the same kind of questions that Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma faced when they were out of form in Test cricket. The Indian duo was asked to play domestic cricket and questioned about their participation in it. Both played in the Ranji Trophy after the series against Australia but retired in May this year, before the England tour.

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“Babar does not even want to play first-class matches. That rustiness was evident. The players who played first-class came and scored runs. So why didn't Babar play? The first over that he played today, he looked so vulnerable. It seemed like he would get out any time. It's okay, he is a big player, and people love him, but you have to play domestic cricket. You can't escape that. And you are not above that,” the former Pakistan captain said.

He explained how playing the Hanif Mohammad Trophy, a domestic, non-first-class four-day tournament, could have helped Babar to some red-ball game time. He also said that PCB would have allowed him for the tournament. Butt also said he has only himself to blame.

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"I feel he lets these opportunities slip away. The Hanif Mohammad Trophy was going on, and he could have gotten a special allowance from the PCB and played those matches. Why didn't he? Babar, with all the support he has, also has himself to blame. Are you not going to help yourself, or are you so reliant on social media?"