Salman Ali Agha speaks up on Babar Azam's form

Pakistan all-rounder Salman Ali Agha has reacted to star batter Babar Azam’s struggles in the ongoing PAK v BAN Test series.

The right-handed batter continues with his poor form in international cricket as he was dismissed for 31 off 77 in the second PAK v BAN Test in Rawalpindi.

After the conclusion of Day 2, Salman Ali Agha was asked about Babar Azam’s dip in the form and its overall impact on the Pakistan team.

Responding to the question, Agha backed the out-of-form batter, saying that the white-ball captain will soon regain his form and score big runs for the national team.

“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,” said Salman Ali Agha.

“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,” he added.

It is worth mentioning here that Babar Azam was dismissed for a duck in the first inning of the opening PAK v BAN Test while he departed after scoring just 22 runs in the second inning of the game which Pakistan lost by 10 wickets.

The star batter’s last 50-plus score in the longer format came in 2022, and has since failed to score a big inning for Pakistan, as his Test average plunged below 45.

Meanwhile, Day 3 of the second Pak v BAN Test saw Pakistan losing two wickets early in their second inning after bowling out Bangladesh for 262.

Saim Ayub remained unbeaten at six, with the scoreboard reading 9-2 as Pakistan lost opening batter Abdullah Shafique and nightwatchman Khurram Shahzad in the last minutes of the third day.

Earlier, Salman Ali Agha took the final two wickets, including top-scorer Litton Das, to book Bangladesh for 262.

Khurram Shahzad was the pick of the bowlers for Pakistan with figures of 6-90, while Mir Hamza and Agha bagged two each.