New Delhi: Star Pakistan batsman Babar Azam was absent from the team’s training session prior to the highly anticipated match against India, leading to uncertainty about his place in the starting lineup. Concerns about his performance and eagerness to accumulate runs have been prevalent in recent months.
There are widespread speculations that Babar may not be selected for the upcoming match against India, as he was absent from the practice session on Saturday, February 22. The chief of the Pakistan Cricket Board, Mohsin Naqvi, was present at the practice, and Babar was the only player who chose to take a day off.
Babar faced significant backlash for scoring 64 runs off 94 balls during the 60-run loss to New Zealand in the first match. The upcoming game against India is crucial for the hosts, who are the reigning champions, as it is a must-win situation.
Interim head coach Aaqib Javed, speaking at the press conference after practice, did not provide a specific explanation for Babar’s absence, stating that the former captain chose to take a break.
As reported by PTI, Naqvi urged captain Mohammad Rizwan, Javed, and the team to put forth their utmost effort in the match against their long-time rivals, India, to ‘silence their critics, including himself’.
Naqvi later informed the media that the team from Pakistan was prepared to compete against India and perform effectively.
“It would be a great game and our team is fully prepared and in my opinion, they are in form. We are with our team, whether they win or lose,” Naqvi said.
In the first match of the Champions Trophy, Babar scored 64 runs off 90 balls while pursuing a challenging target of 321 runs set by New Zealand. As the game progressed, the target seemed increasingly difficult to achieve.
Babar faced additional challenges as he opened the innings alongside Saud Shakeel, who stepped in for Fakhar Zaman, who was sidelined for an extended period due to injury.
Shakeel and Rizwan struggled to find their rhythm with the bat, leaving Babar in a difficult position. The situation deteriorated further when an injured Zaman joined the team, as he was unable to run singles or turn ones into twos, resulting in many runs being missed.
When Salman Agha entered the game and injected some energy into Pakistan’s innings, Babar had already begun to lose his effectiveness, and the target still seemed distant.
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