'Babar Azam is never out of form': Zak Crawley comes out in support of Pakistan star

England opening batter Zak Crawley has opened up about star batter Babar Azam's poor form ahead of the upcoming three-match Test series. Zak Crawley said that England are wary of the threat that Babar Azam poses in the red-ball series, adding that the former Pakistan skipper is not out of form.

Babar had a disappointing outing with the bat during the recently concluded two-match Test series against Bangladesh at home. He scored just 64 runs from four innings against Bangladesh without any half-century. Notably, his last half-century came 16 innings ago in the longer international format.

The Shan Masood-led team suffered a humiliating 0-2 loss to Bangladesh in their last series. Pakistan will host England for the three-match Test series, which is part of the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 cycle. The first Test will be played at the Multan Cricket Stadium from Monday, October 7.

Would Never Say That Babar Azam Is Out Of Form - Zak Crawley

During the press conference, Zak Crawley was asked about Babar Azam's form. Crawley said that he does not believe Babar isn't out of form. The England opening batter said that England must perform at their highest level to dismiss him, describing him as a "graceful" and "classy" player.

“I would never say that Babar Azam is out of form. The way he plays is beautiful, he is a graceful player. He’s a class act and we have to be at our best to get him out,” Crawley told reporters.

Zack Crawley on the question related to the form of King Babar Azam pic.twitter.com/qmPeYt930m

— Hassan Abbasian (@HassanAbbasian) October 4, 2024

Babar was the third-highest run-scorer in the 2022 Test series against England, amassing 348 runs with an average of 58. The right-handed batter has not managed to score a Test half-century since January 2023. Overall, Babar has scored 3,962 runs in 54 Tests at an average of 44.52 including nine centuries.

I Was In Form Against Pakistan And Got Lucky - Zak Crawley

Zak Crawley opened up about his record against Pakistan, adding that he may have been in form during their last encounter due to flat pitches. Crawley added that Pakistan has quality fast bowlers, which poses a challenge.

"Form is temporary as I said, maybe at that time I was in form against Pakistan and got lucky. Pakistan has high-quality bowlers, but the last time I was here it was a flat wicket. I would put it down to that," Crawley said.

The 26-year-old said that Pakistan has a strong batting lineup with match-winning potential. Crawly urged England to remain vigilant and added that they need to bring their best game to secure the series win.

“As a batter myself, I know that form comes and goes, but class never leaves you. That batting line-up of Pakistan is a class batting line-up. We don’t underestimate them. There are guys in there who can take the game away from you. So, we are going to be at our best to get them out and win the series,” Zak Crawley added.

Also read: Watch: Dhruv Jurel misses out on well-deserved century in Irani Cup 2024 in a huge heartbreak