“There are 10 other players in the team, you should focus on them” – Salman Ali Agha defends Babar Azam amid poor form

Pakistan all-rounder Salman Ali Agha has put his weight behind under-fire Babar Azam amid his poor form in Test cricket. Agha said the media should also focus on the other 10 players in the team.

Azam returned with scores 0 and 22 in the first Test match against Bangladesh and failed to deliver the goods for the team. The right-hander had the rub of the green as he was dropped for naught by Litton Das in the second essay but he could not make the most of his second life. Eventually, Pakistan was stunned by 10 wickets in the opening Test.

The flamboyant batter has been struggling to find his form in the recent past and as a result, he has dropped to ninth spot in the ICC rankings for Test batters.

Furthermore, Azam could not turn the tables in the second Test match as he could only manage scores of 31 and 11 against the Tigers.

“Babar Azam is a world-class player. As a cricketer, you go through these phases. He has scored consistently throughout the last five years. Soon, we will see him scoring big runs for Pakistan again. As a cricketer, you have such phases in your life. There are 10 other players in the team, you should focus on them. It’s fine if he’s struggling. He will return to scoring big runs very soon,” Salman Ali Agha said after Day 1 in Rawalpindi.

Meanwhile, Pakistan posted 274 runs in the first innings after half-centuries from Saim Ayub, Shan Masood, and Salman Ali Agha. Pakistan had Bangladesh on the mat at 26-6 but Litton Das scored a magnificent knock of 138 runs whereas Mehidy Hasan Miraz contributed with 78 runs to help the visitors score 262 runs and stay in the game.

On Day four, Pakistan are currently 92-6 and they lead by 105 runs.