Former Pakistan skipper Salman Butt recently spoke about the controversy going on around their star batsman, Babar Azam. The 39-year-old Butt linked two prime reasons to Babar’s recent struggle. His words come in handy to give further insight into the struggles of Azam and Pakistan. Butt said the team is over-dependent on Babar Azam.
Relying Too Much on Babar Azam
According to Butt, Babar is indeed Pakistan’s first-class top batsman and also its most consistent player of the last decade. At the same time, this overdependency has turned out to be a liability. The issue is that when he finds it difficult, there are not enough other players to come forward and take up that mantle.
Pakistan has had a lot of players who could rise up and meet the challenge. Case in point: The team had symmetry in their batting. If only one player had a bad day, then others would balance things out. Now, Babar is often the only savior. If he fails, then his entire team succumbs. This naturally puts Babar Azam under immense pressure.
Butt criticized the team for their focus on power-hitting and the big shots. He said that this has come at the cost of developing technically sound players. There isn’t much well-roundedness on the team when Babar isn’t playing well. This overdependence and lack of technique from other players puts immense pressure on Babar Azam. His recent performances in the ongoing Test series against Bangladesh show it. His score in the first Test were 22 runs. In the second innings, he has only 31 runs. These poor scores have heightened concerns about his form and the team’s overall performance.
What About Team Impact
Butt’s analysis elaborates that Azam’s bad times are not only his issue. It also highlighted larger issues. If Azam is not scoring runs, then there isn’t any other player to make up the difference. Hence, the team’s performance suffers.
Team management and selectors should revisit how they bring up players to address these issues. A focus on training might be towards aggressiveness and technical skills. This will lighten the burden on Babar Azam and ensure that he can take over when required.
Conclusion
Salman Butt and his insight speaks volumes about Azam’s and the Pakistani cricket team’s issues. Over-reliance on Babar and flawed player development remain critical factors. Pakistan needs to reallocate its focus toward constructing a better, balanced team. One that can share the pressure instead of loading it onto a few particular players. In this way, it improves the overall team performance and shape a solid future for Pakistan.
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