'Babar still plays ODI cricket from 1980s'

NEW DELHI: Former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif has come down hard on Pakistan’s star batter Babar Azam, calling his batting style outdated and reminiscent of the 1980s.

Centuries from Will Young and Tom Latham, combined with a strong bowling performance powered New Zealand beat Pakistan by 60 runs in the inaugural match of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 at National Bank Stadium in Karachi.

Chasing a target of 321, Pakistan struggled to gain momentum, losing wickets at regular intervals.

Babar scored 64 runs off 90 balls at a strike rate of 71.11 while chasing a target of 321. He and Saud Shakeel opened the innings for Pakistan after their regular opener, Fakhar Zaman, was forced to sit out for at least 25 minutes due to leaving the field during Pakistan’s bowling.

Fakhar Zaman, who batted at No. 4, partnered with Babar Azam to add 47 runs, but their slow pace put pressure on the team. Zaman’s departure marked the beginning of a collapse, with Salman Ali Agha’s 42 off 28 balls providing a brief glimmer of hope.

Kaif was unimpressed with Babar’s knock, particularly on a batting-friendly track in Karachi. He felt that Babar’s approach, which included milking runs in the middle overs and hitting only two boundaries against part-time spinners, is not suited to modern cricket.

“Babar still plays ODI cricket from 1980s. Just two boundaries against part-time spinners, milking runs in middle overs. This doesn’t work in modern cricket,” he wrote on X.