Salman Butt exposes the real reason behind Babar Azam's struggles

Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt has shared his views on the mounting pressure surrounding Babar Azam, shedding light on why the star batter is facing such intense criticism from the fans and former cricketers.

Butt said that the situation isn't just about Babar's recent dip in form, but it highlights a much deeper issue within the Pakistan cricket team.

After a disappointing T20 World Cup 2024, Babar’s poor form continued in the ongoing two-match Test series against Bangladesh at home.

Salman Butt criticizes Pakistan's over-reliance on Babar Azam amid his ongoing form slump

The right-hander scored only 22 runs in the first Test and then managed only 31 runs in the first innings of the ongoing second and final Test against the Tigers.

Pakistan’s white-ball skipper has not scored a fifty in his last 15 Test innings, which has been mounting pressure on Babar, who has been now facing a lot of criticism for his long-standing poor form.

Well, Butt admitted that Babar is undeniably Pakistan's best batter and the most consistent player of the decade, but the problem lies in the lack of support around him.

He highlighted how in the past, when top players struggled, there were always a few others who could step up and win matches, effectively shielding the team's performance.

However, Babar's case is different. The former Pakistan skipper said that Babar has become the backbone of Pakistan's batting lineup, single-handedly carrying the team's hopes in every match.

" There is no one with him who can match him"

Salman But said on an Urdu Sports Channel: “There are two reasons (why Babar is facing so much heat). No doubt, he is currently Pakistan's best batter and, I think, the most consistent player of the decade. But the problem is that when a player struggled earlier, they were more out of form than Babar.

But with him, there were 4-5 other players who used to win matches, so everyone's respect used to be saved and it was covered. Now the problem is that Babar has scored so much, then he is the only one who scores most of the runs for Pakistan. There is no one with him who can match him.”

Now, with no other matchwinners emerging alongside him, Babar's every knock comes under scrutiny.

The former skipper further noted that his prolific run-scoring has set such high expectations that any failure feels like a disaster—not just for him but for the entire team.

Salman Butt reveals the harsh truth about Pakistan's crisis

Salman Butt emphasized that Pakistan's over-reliance on Babar has exposed a glaring weakness: the lack of proper player development.

Salman Butt added that Pakistan’s focus on power-hitting and aggressive play has left them without technically sound players who can anchor the innings when Babar falters.

Salman Butt said that the harsh reality is that when Babar doesn’t deliver, the entire team's chances of victory plunge, and the white-ball captain turns into a scapegoat.

Salman Butt further explained, “Now, when he is not scoring, it feels like Bakar is not doing anything. Babar has made people habituated by scoring so many runs that people now want him to score lots of runs in every inning. Now there is no other match-winning player with him in the Pakistan team.”

“You can see, the day he doesn't run, you know that the Pakistan team will not win the match. So, this is the problem of Pakistan that you did not develop the players. You tried to develop everyone on the basis of power-hitting, the basis of playing openly. And now you don't have players with the right techniques,” Salman Butt concluded.

He Always talks in sensible way ❤️#BabarAzam???? pic.twitter.com/yHwGXrZyXA

— Abdullah Zafar (@Arain_417) August 31, 2024