Babar Azam faced backlash and trolling after a three-ball duck against the West Indies

West Indies level the three-match series 1-1

The match was pivotal as Pakistan lost by five wickets, allowing the West Indies to level the three-match series 1-1. No Pakistani batsman in that innings crossed 40 runs, reflecting a collective batting failure. Babar's removal during the powerplay had a particularly significant effect since it hampered Pakistan's chase and revealed their innings' weaknesses.

Former Pakistani captain Babar Azam has returned to international cricket after a long time. He is searching for his form. He could score only 47 runs in the first ODI. He could not even open his account in the second ODI.

According to a statistic, Babar Azam has not been able to score a century in the last 63 innings in international cricket. In 2023, Babar Azam made his final century in the Asia Cup match against Nepal. Since then, he has failed to reach the 100-run mark anywhere in all three forms.

In the August 2023 encounter against Afghanistan, Babar Azam returned to the pavilion on zero, marking his fifth time being out on a duck in ODIs. In such a situation, after a full 719 days, he returned to the pavilion without opening his account in ODIs. In the second ODI against the West Indies, Babar Azam was bowled by the Windies team’s fast bowler Jayden Seals and sent to the pavilion.

If he scores a century in the remaining ODI match which will be played on Tuesday, he will then become the joint first player to score the most centuries for Pakistan. Saeed Anwar has scored 20 centuries for Pakistan in ODI cricket. At the same time, Babar Azam has scored 19 centuries. At present, he is searching for his form.

Often compared with The GOAT, Virat Kohli

Babar’s recent struggles have deeper roots, with his ODI average declining from close to 60 earlier in his career to just above 30 during this lean patch, compounded by a sluggish strike rate of around 80. This prolonged slump has already seen him dropped from Pakistan’s T20I squad due to slow scoring, underscoring concerns about his ability to maintain consistency across formats.

Despite his poor form, supporters acknowledge that Babar was once considered a prodigious talent, often compared to Virat Kohli as the next big ODI star due to his stylish stroke play and early career records. However, recent performances have not lived up to that promise, creating pressure on him to rediscover his form.