Imad Wasim questions Babar Azam’s promotion to ODI opening slot

Former Pakistan all-rounder Imad Wasim has raised concerns over the decision to push Babar Azam up the order in ODIs, questioning whether the country is truly lacking specialist openers.

Babar, who has been struggling to regain his best form, hasn’t scored a century since August 2023, when he smashed 151 against Nepal. His performances have come under intense scrutiny, especially after Pakistan’s disappointing ICC Champions Trophy 2025 campaign.

Ahead of the tournament, Pakistan’s management experimented with Babar as an opener in the tri-series against New Zealand and South Africa, where he could only manage 10, 23, and 29.

Despite those underwhelming numbers, he retained the role in the Champions Trophy but failed to make a significant impact, scoring 64 and 23 against New Zealand and India, respectively.

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This move hasn’t gone down well with many former cricketers, and Imad Wasim has now joined the list of critics questioning the logic behind it.

“Nobody has achieved what Babar has in ODI cricket so far,” Imad said. “You had a player who could bat for 40 overs and was doing great at No. 3, so why would you suddenly make him open?”

He further pointed out that Pakistan has historically produced quality openers, making it baffling why the management felt the need to alter Babar’s role.

“Don’t we have any other opener in the whole country?” Imad asked. “Sometimes, I fail to understand the logic behind some of these decisions. We are not moving in the right direction; in fact, we are going backwards.”

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