'Babar Azam doesn’t look...': Shan Masood's colossal verdict on struggling batter's form

Pakistan National Cricket Team red-ball skipper Shan Masood has delivered a bold verdict on the form of the struggling batting superstar Babar Azam.

The 29-year-old Babar has unarguably been the best batter to come out of Pakistan in the past one decade. He has shattered numerous major records in T20Is, ODIs, as well as Tests, and his numbers speak about the domination he has shown across formats.

However, the batter is currently going through a lean patch. He has not been able to get going and his career seems to be in a declining stage. As a batter, Babar Azam has been facing heavy criticism, and to make matters worse, his captaincy also came under the scanner.

Under Babar Azam's leadership, Pakistan struggled in white-ball cricket and he recently announced his decision to step down from the role to focus on his batting.

Meanwhile, speaking ahead of the upcoming Pakistan vs England series, the red-ball skipper Shan Masood backed Babar Azam, saying that the batter is among the best players in the world and is not out of form.

Shan Masood added that Babar Azam did a good job in the recently concluded Champions One-day Cup and he will take that confidence into the England Test series.

“Babar Azam is among the world’s best batters. You have to give your players time, not just Babar Azam. Babar doesn’t look out of form, he’s getting starts,” Masood said. “There was a 10-month gap between the Australia and Bangladesh Tests, which doesn’t help us. He played some long innings in the Champions [One-Day] Cup where he absorbed pressure and changed gears. That might help him in Tests now. He’s the team’s number one batter for sure.”

Notably, Babar Azam slammed 230 runs in the Champions One-day Cup 2024 in four games at an average of 76.66 and a strike rate of almost 99, with a century and a half-century.

Shan Masood Breaks Silence On Reports Of Lack Of Unity In Team Pakistan

Shan Masood also addressed the reports and rumors of the lack of unity in Team Pakistan. He said that his primary aim is to make sure that the dressing room environment remains good and denied the reports of lack of unity.

"Every captain has their own style. I focus on keeping the environment in the dressing room well; that is my primary concern. I have never seen a lack of unity or effort by the boys. There are some cricketing aspects to how we need to improve, but I have no complaints regarding unity," Shan Masood concluded.

Pakistan National Cricket Team will be next seen in action in a three-match home Test series against England National Cricket Team. Both the teams have already named their strong squads and the series is expected to be a thrilling one.

The Men In Green will be aiming to beat England and give fans some joy after their shock Test series defeat against the Bangladesh National Cricket Team, which came a few weeks back.