Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting has advised Pakistan batter Babar Azam to consider taking an extended break from competitive cricket, similar to the approach taken by Indian batting maestro Virat Kohli, in order to regain his form.
Former Pakistan captain Babar is going through a rough patch, particularly in Test cricket. He had a forgettable home Test series against Bangladesh in August-September, where he managed a meagre 64 runs in four innings.
The star batter was also dropped from the last two Tests of the recently-concluded three-match series against England, pertaining to his series of dismal performances in the longest format.
Babar has scored 3,997 runs in 55 Tests at a decent average of 43.92 but failed to make a half-century in the format since 2022 and has averaged a meagre 20.7 since 2023.
He managed to retain his position in Pakistan’s ODI side in the first match against Australia but continued his dismal form as he fell prey to Adam Zampa after scoring only 37 runs.
Ricky Ponting, during an interview with the ICC Review, expressed concerns over Babar’s recent struggles, especially in Test cricket.
“The biggest challenge is how they get Babar back into their side,” Ponting said in the ICC Review. “They’ve got to find a way to get Babar back into form and back into their [Test] team.”
The former Australian captain cited the example of Virat Kohli, who made the bold decision to take an extended break in 2022 to recover his batting form.
Following the break, Kohli returned to the cricketing arena with renewed vigour and skill. His remarkable performance during the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 showcased his exceptional batting prowess, and he further solidified his comeback by making a significant impact in the ICC ODI World Cup 2023.
“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,” Ponting said.
“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.”
Ricky Ponting suggested that Babar Azam should take a similar route and stay away from the game for some time to freshen himself up.
“This might be exactly what Babar needs. Maybe Babar needs to get away for a while and stop trying too hard,” the former captain stated.
“Lock the kit bag away for a while, 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.”
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