Babar Azam is talked about across social media for a blunt press conference answer. With Pakistan trailing 2-0 against England and facing a major squad shake up mid series, questions about Babar Azam’s own form finally caught up with him too.
The Comment That Sparked It All
Ahead of the third and final Test at Edgbaston, a reporter asked Babar something pointed. Given that Pakistan had just dropped seven senior players over poor form, should the captain himself face similar scrutiny? Babar did not dodge the question. He answered it directly, pointing back to his own recent numbers.
“If you talk about the performance, in my opinion, I was named Player of the Series in the last Series”, he said, reminding everyone that he was the standout performer just one series ago. It is a fair point on paper. Against West Indies, he scored 193 runs at a staggering average of 96.50, playing a central role in Pakistan’s Test victory during that series.
The timing of his comment made it controversial. Just days earlier at Lord’s, he had managed only eight runs in the first innings and six in the second, as Pakistan collapsed while chasing 389 and slipped to an unassailable 2-0 series deficit. Critics were quick to point out the contrast between his West Indies heroics and his current struggles against England’s pace attack.
A Closer Look at His Recent Numbers
Against England this series, Babar has managed just 21 runs across three innings, averaging a lowly 7.00, numbers that would worry any batter, let alone a team captain under constant public scrutiny.
If we zoom out slightly, Babar Azam currently sits at sixth position among ODI batters in the ICC rankings, a spot that reflects genuine consistency in the fifty-over format even amid his Test struggles. His T20I ranking sits lower at 43rd, a reminder that his white-ball fortunes vary quite a bit depending on format. Interestingly, despite his rough patch in this specific series, Babar had actually climbed back into the top 10 of the ICC Test batting rankings heading into the England tour, built largely on the strength of that West Indies series.
That combination, a top-10 Test ranking alongside a miserable series average, captures exactly why opinions on his current form are so divided. Numbers over a longer journey still favor him. But numbers from this particular series clearly do not.
Pakistan’s Bigger Crisis Around Him
His individual struggles are unfolding against the backdrop of a genuinely chaotic tour for Pakistan cricket. After England sealed the series with their Lord’s victory, the Pakistan Cricket Board dropped seven players from the squad altogether, including big names like Mohammad Rizwan, Salman Ali Agha, and Imam-ul-Haq.
Babar admitted that he was not even consulted before the decision was made. He said he learned about the changes only afterward, though he accepted the board’s call without public pushback. Alongside the player removed from the series, Pakistan also overhauled its coaching staff mid-series, replacing head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed with Mike Hesson and removing assistant coach Umar Gul entirely.
Former Pakistan coach Jason Gillespie publicly questioned both the manner and timing of these sweeping changes, arguing that overhauling a squad and coaching staff mid-series rarely produces the intended results.
Why This Moment Matters for Babar’s Legacy
For a player who spent years as the undisputed face of Pakistan cricket, moments like this carry extra weight. Babar has faced many controversies before, including questions over his T20I career following a rough World Cup campaign earlier this year. Each time, he has leaned on strong returns in other formats to quiet the noise.
Whether that pattern holds true again after this England series remains to be seen. With Pakistan already staring at a series defeat and a dramatically reshuffled squad around him, Babar’s performance in this final Test at Edgbaston could shape the tone of conversations about his leadership for months to come.
