DUBAI: A major reason why Pakistan are floundering in the ICC tournaments in recent years, and are being beaten by arch-rivals India consistently, is the steady decline of Babar Azam, once their premier batter.
Having made his debut against Zimbabwe in Lahore in May 2015, Babar, then just 22, announced his fine talent to the world when he cracked three consecutive centuries against West Indies in UAE in Sept-Oct 2016. Carrying on that initial promise, Babar scored a hundred against Australia at Adelaide and then a few more against West Indies and Sri Lanka. In the 2019 World Cup, while Pakistan crashed out in the league stage, Babar's performance-474 runs in eight [email protected], with three fifties and a hundred, stood out.