Last Updated on 1 year ago by Charbel Coorey
Babar Azam has been widely criticised by fans and pundits following his innings of 64 (90) in the opening match of the 2025 Champions Trophy against New Zealand in Karachi. Babar, the number two-ranked ODI batsman, faced 52 dots, part of a top order that never got going in the run chase of 321.
At the start of their innings, Pakistan had to climb a hill – a relatively rocky one – with a required run rate of 6.42. By the time ten overs had been bowled, that hill was quickly turning into Everest. The asking rate ballooned to 7.12, with the hosts mustering just 22 runs – the worst tally they have ever put together in the first ten overs of a home ODI.
Saud Shakeel (6 off 19 balls) and Mohammad Rizwan (3 off 14 balls) also have a lot to answer for regarding Pakistan’s poor start. However, things did not improve thereafter. By the end of the 22nd over, Pakistan had played out 95 dots and the run rate did not touch four until the 29th over thanks to Salman Agha’s 28-ball cameo that yielded 42 runs.
Poor innings from Babar Azam that put Pakistan under further pressure
Truth be told, it was a poor innings from Babar that lacked any substance or intent. Even with the asking rate climbing to over nine an over, Babar continued to play ultra conservatively, even dead-batting deliveries from New Zealand’s offspinners which should, in theory, be a favourable matchup for a right-handed batter.
In fact, Babar did not hit a single boundary between the 16th and 33rd over. As the set batsman with Pakistan already well behind the asking rate, plus Fakhar Zaman’s injury, such an approach gave them next to no hope of victory.
Those in defence of Babar ask why he cops the most criticism while others are performing under-par.
The answer is simple.
Given Babar was regularly compared with the fab four and lots of noise has been made about his high ODI rankings over the years, the spotlight will naturally be on him in big games. His 64 off 90 balls is quite damaging in a run chase of 321, where 15 overs are taken up and the pressure increases massively on those around him.
Reactions: Babar Azam cops plenty of criticism for his 64 (90) in the 2025 Champions Trophy opener
Pakistan still lost by a handsome margin of 60 runs despite excellent knocks from Khushdil Shah (69 off 49 balls) and Salman Agha (42 off 28 balls). As a result, Mohammad Rizwan’s team now faces a must-win scenario against archrivals India in Dubai on Sunday.
The reactions to Babar Azam’s 64 (90) were scathing. “This was the worst innings i have seen from a Pakistani batter in a chase. Even Misbah’s SF knock (in 2011) wasn’t this bad,” wrote one fan on X.
“Any other team would have dropped Babar Azam unfortunately for us, he plays for Pakistan— where meritocracy is nonexistent. Players like Rizwan, and Shaheen still riding on the coattails of the 152-0 result from 2021 – arguably the worst thing to ever happen to Pakistan cricket,” wrote another.
Here are some of the reactions to the innings.
On the other side, New Zealand showed why they are one of the tournament favourites. After falling to 73/3, they dominated thereafter, with Will Young and Tom Latham striking magnificent centuries. With the ball, they were never troubled, always in control of the situation thanks to a combination of tight bowling and poor Pakistani batting.
Next up for the Black Caps is Bangladesh in Rawalpindi on Monday. If India beats Bangladesh and Pakistan, a win for New Zealand in that game will seal qualification to the semi-finals.
 in the opening match of the 2025 Champions Trophy.){kind=link}