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Former Pakistani wicketkeeper batter Kamran Akmal believes making Babar Azam open is ruining his confidence and Pakistan's team combination.
In the absence of Saim Ayub, Babar came out to open for Pakistan alongside Fakhar Zaman during the first match of the ODI tri-series opener against New Zealand. Babar, struggling for form, failed to quench his thirst for runs and returned to the dressing room after a ragged 10(23). Kamran feels Babar's confidence and the team combination are suffering due to the current lineup. "You are making Babar open. With this decision, the team combination is ruined, and so is Babar's confidence," Kamran said on his YouTube channel. Since returning to Pakistan from South Africa, Babar's form has derailed. After blazing his way to three successive fifties in the two Tests in South Africa, Babar lost his mojo since encountering the West Indies in Multan last month. From Tests to ODIs, Babar has continued to endure scrutiny for his inconsistency. In the first match of the ODI tri-series, Babar opened alongside Fakhar in a bid to recover his form but failed to deliver something meaningful. Babar's outing turned into a fiasco with a knock of 10(23), leaving him searching for that elusive century since his 151-run knock against Nepal in August 2023. Babar's recent descent in form stems from the West Indies series, which was played on a turning Multan strip. In Pakistan's emphatic 127-run victory in the first Test, Babar flopped with scores of 8(20) and 5(11). In the second and final match of the series at the same venue, Babar's Achilles heel was exposed by the spin duo Gudkehs Motie and Kevin Sinclair. After 1(5) in the first innings, Babar showed glimpses of his brilliance in his second turn but eventually fell on 31(67). Babar will aim to find his form with the bat before Pakistan begins their title defence in the Champions Trophy on February 19. (ANI)
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