Dunya Exclusive – Will Babar Azam be man of the moment?

The captain needs to strike the right balance between aggression and caution

By Malik Junaid

As the world eagerly awaits the marquee event in India, all eyes are naturally drawn to Pakistan's captain Babar Azam.

Azam is more than a cricketing sensation – he is an artist with the bat who mesmerises fans with his beautiful shots. His batting prowess has earned him admiration from the Australian players who hail Azam as a formidable batter.

They recently spoke about the challenges of bowling to him, highlighting how difficult it is to contain him on the field. Babar's ability to rotate the strike and turn a good ball into a boundary makes him a formidable opponent.

Pakistan are historically known for their formidable pace attack but this time round, they face a challenge in the bowling department. The absence of talented Naseem Shah due to injury was keenly felt in a recent warm-up match against New Zealand.

During this match, Pakistan's bowling struggled to defend a formidable target of 345. Apart from it, Pakistani spinners could not make an impact and this raises concerns about the team's ability to adapt to the Indian conditions and deliver the kind of performance that can help them clinch the World Cup title.

While Pakistan do have the lethal duo of Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf, the collective effort of the bowling unit is essential to achieve success in the tournament.

Fielding also has been an area of inconsistency for Pakistan in recent times. Although improvements have been made, the team must strive for consistent excellence in the field as sharp fielding can be the deciding factor in cricket matches.

Babar Azam's leadership will play a key role in ensuring team’s high standard in this crucial aspect. He had recently faced questions regarding his captaincy. Critics contend that his defensive mindset and reluctance to think outside the box have hindered Pakistan's progress in some key matches.

One prominent example of this was the T20 Asia Cup final in 2022 where Pakistan had Sri Lanka in trouble at 58/5. Despite this advantageous position, Azam did not go for the kill by introducing his main fast bowler.

He persisted with spinners, allowing Sri Lankan batters to settle and ultimately post a substantial 177, resulting in Pakistan's loss. This strategy continues to puzzle many even now as he failed to show the required aggression in the match against New Zealand and prior to that in the Asia Cup (against India and Sri Lanka).

In the match against India, Azam’s cautious approach and failure to apply further pressure cost the match. Instead of introducing his main fast bowler, he persisted with spinners and India somehow managed to post a total of 266.

If Pakistan wants to lift the WC trophy, the captain needs to strike the right balance between aggression and caution. Despite these challenges, Pakistan cricketers remain optimistic. They believe that the Indian pitches bear similarities to those in Pakistan, offering a chance to exploit familiar conditions.

Recent encouragement has come from cricketing legends such as Muttiah Muralitharan, Chris Gayle and Shane Watson who have predicted Pakistan as one of the semi-finalists, alongside India, Australia, and England.

This endorsement serves as a source of hope and motivation for Pakistan as they embark on their World Cup journey.