Maybe he needs to get away for a while: Ricky Ponting on Babar Azam's recent display

Following a big defeat in the first Test to England in Multan - Pakistan's third-successive Test defeat at home in the season - the selection panel made the big call of resting star batter Babar, who was in a run-scoring rut with a Test average of 20.7 since 2023, along with pacers Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah.

Babar has since returned to a new-look white-ball outfit led by Mohammad Rizwan and Pakistan's team management have reiterated that the decision to rest him from the Test series, which Pakistan eventually won 2-1, was a strategic call amidst a packed international calendar.

Babar impressed in the first ODI against Australia, scoring a brisk 37, and has displayed good touch in the white-ball format, but Ponting remains concerned about his return to the Test outfit.

Speaking on ICC Review, Ponting said that the biggest challenge for the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) will be to bring back Babar in form.

"The biggest challenge is how they get Babar back into their side. They've got to find a way to get Babar back into form and back into their [Test] team," Ponting was quoted from ICC as saying.

Ponting went on to suggest that Babar should attempt Virat Kohli's approach in a bid to find his form again.

Earlier this year, Kohli stepped away from the game during India's home series against England citing personal reasons. After his return, he went on to play a match-winning knock against South Africa in the final of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 - India's first ICC trophy in 11 years.

In 2022, Kohli had taken a similar break from the game after a barren streak with the bat. After his return, he scored his first international hundred since 2019, and delivered breathtaking performances across the formats over the next 12 months, including a match-winning knock against Pakistan in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2022, and a golden run in the 2023 Men's Cricket World Cup at home - where he scored a record 765 runs and was named Player of the Tournament.

The former cricketer recalled when Virat Kohli took himself away from the game while taking a break.

"You know, when you look at (Babar's) numbers, it's been a bit like the stuff that we were talking about with Virat [Kohli] earlier on. Sometimes - and I think Virat was on record saying this - that little bit of a break that he had, he took himself away from the game for a while to freshen up and sort out some things that he needed to sort out," he added.

Ponting suggested that Babar needs to follow Virat's footsteps by taking a break from the game for a while and making a solid comeback.

"This might be exactly what Babar needs. Maybe Babar needs to get away for a while and stop trying too hard. Lock the kit bag away for a while, and think about something else and then hopefully come back recharged, because we know at his best he's as good as anyone going around. Hopefully, we get to see that in the back half of his career again." he further added. (ANI)