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Pakistan Test coach Jason Gillespie has backed Babar Azam to find his purple patch after his lean form continued in their ongoing series against Bangladesh.
Babar has been struggling to put runs on the board since the conclusion of last year's ODI World Cup in India. Following Pakistan's exit from the marquee event, he left captaincy and later on returned as the white-ball skipper before the T20 World Cup earlier this year. Babar's lean patch continued in the home Test series against Bangladesh, leading to his criticism from fans and former Pakistan cricketers. Despite Babar's ongoing struggle, Gillespie showed faith in Pakistan's standout player. He is hopeful that Babar will soon score "big runs" for Pakistan. "Babar is a quality player. He is a world-class player. He is very close. I feel it. I am confident that we are going to see Babar scoring some big runs very soon. He probably hasn't converted the start he has got," Gillespie said at the end of the Day 4 press conference. After the conclusion of last year's ODI World Cup, Pakistan toured Australia for a three-match Test series. Pakistan endured a whitewash after being outplayed in all facets of the game. After the conclusion of the series, Pakistan's batters were left exposed following their performances. Babar was among the players who came under the scrutiny of fans as well as former cricketers. During the three Tests, Babar mustered up 126 runs at an average of 21. Before the T20 World Cup, Pakistan toured England to play four T20Is. In two matches, Babar racked up 68 runs across his name at an average of 34.00. In the T20 World Cup, Babar once again was left exposed after falling short with his bat. In four matches, he garnered 122 runs at an average of 40.66. But he was heavily criticised for his below-par strike rate of 101.66. In their ongoing series against Bangladesh, in four innings, Babar has produced just 64 runs from his bat. He would be keen to find his rich vein of form in Pakistan's upcoming series against England. (ANI)
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