Asia Cup 2025: Fawad Alam reveals main reason behind Babar Azam's slump

KARACHI: Test cricketer Fawad Alam has come to the defense of former Pakistan captain Babar Azam, claiming that the only “bad luck” Babar has faced in his career is the absence of explosive lower-order finishers, unlike past Pakistani greats who had the likes of Shahid Afridi and Abdul Razzaq to turn games around.

Speaking on a sports show while discussing the 2025 Asia Cup, Fawad said the Pakistan vs India clash will be one to watch. He praised Abhishek Sharma, the top-ranked T20 batter in the ICC rankings, for his outstanding recent performances for India.

He acknowledged that India, with the top 10 bowlers and batters, poses the biggest threat to other teams in the tournament.

When asked about the decline in threat from Pakistan’s top order — particularly Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam — Fawad strongly defended Babar.

“There is no question mark over Babar Azam’s skill. No one can point a finger at him — he has consistently delivered outstanding performances,” Fawad Alam said. “His only bad luck, especially in the last two to three years in T20s, is that he didn’t have players like Shahid Afridi or Abdul Razzaq to finish games. All of our legendary players succeeded because they had match-winners lower down the order.”

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Fawad added that technically, the playing style of past greats was not significantly different from Babar’s — and in many ways, Babar’s consistency and performances, especially in white-ball formats, are superior.

“Babar Azam is better than most of our legends. His performances in ODIs and T20s are extraordinary. There’s no bigger player than Babar Azam in Pakistan cricket right now.”