Former Australian cricket legend Ricky Ponting and renowned Indian commentator Ravi Shastri have voiced concerns over Pakistani star batter Babar Azam’s inconsistency at the T20 World Cup, sharing tips for the former Green Shirts captain to regain his form.

 

Babar managed just 15 runs off 18 balls in Pakistan’s tournament opener against the Netherlands, putting the middle order under pressure and raising questions about his ability to provide quick starts at the top of the lineup.

 

“If you're 15 off 18 balls, you're not just putting pressure on yourself, you're putting pressure on the guy at the other end. The guy at the other end then knows that he's got to be the one to take up the boundary scoring. Babar needs to hit boundaries early on. He needs to get off and going, he needs two boundaries in his first six balls, otherwise the whole momentum of the game is going to change every time he goes in,” Ponting said while speaking on The ICC Review with host Sanjana Ganesan.

 

Shastri said Babar’s reputation was adding even more pressure to the situation.

 

“When you are at that stage of your career, there's baggage. There's a weight of expectation. People expect you to go out there and deliver. Get out there [and] in your first five balls, I don't care if you get out, but I want you to make an effort to hit a couple of boundaries. Choose your spot, get into good positions, anticipate what the bowler is doing. You will feel a lot better and things might change,” he said.

 

Ponting also expressed concern about Babar’s No. 4 batting position in the opener, which he believed increased the pressure. “It just to me looks like he's lost a bit of his power, his ball striking ability, like taking that spinner on the way he did and not being able to even go close to clearing it.”

 

“I defended him at the start of the tournament… a big player with big events experience… you need [those players] on your side if you're going to win. Pakistan need the best version of Babar Azam if they're going to go further in this tournament,” Shastri added.

 

Ponting suggested returning Babar to his preferred No. 3 position to make the most of the powerplay fielding restrictions. 

 

“I would even think about batting him at No. 3 I think the earlier he goes in, if he can get some time inside the Powerplay with the field up, I think that's going to help him because if he has just lost that little bit of power, then you need everything in your favour. So having only two fielders out would help him. The guys that [are] batting after him have got plenty of power anyway. They can take advantage of those middle overs with the spinners on and the fielders out. They've got a big decision to make whether he stays in or whether they leave him out.”

 

Shastri also spoke of Babar’s role in the team. “There will be questions asked. He’s a quality player… we know he's got the experience to adjust very quickly, but he has to do it quickly because [the middle overs are] a very crucial period of play. In T20 cricket, you can't give it that much time unless the conditions are really in favor of the bowlers,” he said.

 

Pakistan will face the United States next on February 11 in Colombo. Meanwhile, the February 15 clash against India remains uncertain following recent ICC and PCB discussions. 

 

Pakistan will close the group stage with a match against Namibia on February 18.