‘Babar Azam should play at No. 3 in Champions Trophy 2025’

Former Pakistan captain Mohammad Hafeez has shared his views on star batter Babar Azam’s batting position in the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025.

The right-handed batter was promoted to the top position in the batting order following batter Saim Ayub’s injury.

However, the former Pakistan captain could not turn up for the national side and could manage meagre scores of 10, 23 and 29 in three innings of the ongoing tri-nation series.

Following his early dismissal in the PAK vs NZ tri-nation series final on Friday, former Pakistan captain Mohammad Hafeez urged the team management to restore Babar Azam to the No. 3 spot for the upcoming tournament.

In a post on X, Hafeez suggested either of Shan Masood, Imam-ul-Haq or Abdullah Shafique to open the inning with Fakhar Zaman in the Champions Trophy 2025.

“Shan Masood, Imam-ul-Haq or Abdullah Shafique, take any one as opener & let Babar Azam play at no 3 in Champions trophy. Make things easier for everyone,” Mohammad Hafeez wrote in his post.

Pertinent to note here that the star batter opened the batting last in 2015, the same year he made his ODI debut.

Read more: Babar Azam should not open the innings for Pakistan, Salman Butt

In his two outings as an opener that year, he scored 4 and 22 runs, respectively.

Babar Azam primarily plays at No. 3, a batting position where he has amassed 5,957 runs in 123 ODIs at an average of 56, with 19 centuries and 23 fifties.

Pakistan squad for Champions Trophy 2025:

Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Tayyab Tahir, Mohammad Rizwan (c)(wk), Usman Khan (wk), Faheem Ashraf, Khushdil Shah, Salman Ali Agha (vc), Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah and Shaheen Shah Afridi.