Babar Azam likely to be demoted in batting order, management to make big changes - Reports

Former Pakistan skipper Babar Azam is set to appear in his white-ball assignment after resigning as a skipper of the Pakistan Cricket Team. He will be in action for Pakistan in the upcoming five-match T20I series against New Zealand. Notably, the men in green will take on the Blackcaps in the first T20I of the five-match series at Eden Park in Auckland on Friday, January 12, 2024.

Meanwhile, the media reports have learned about a recent development in the Pakistan camp, which might not be very pleasing for Babar Azam. The newly formed T20I management of the Pakistan Cricket Team in skipper Shaheen Afridi, team director Mohammad Hafeez, and high-performance coach Yasir Arafat have reportedly decided to demote Babar Azam down in the batting order.

Setbacks continue for Babar Azam amidst his dismal batting form

The developments and reports from Auckland suggest that the management is likely to change the opening pair of the team in the T20Is; they might send the young southpaw Saim Ayub to open the innings alongside vice-captain and wicketkeeper-batter, Mohammad Rizwan. Given this change in the opening slot, former skipper Babar might have to bat a bit lower down the order either on number 3 or number 4.

The 29-year-old star batter has not been in good form across all formats from the ODI World Cup 2023 to the recently concluded three-match T20I series. In the Test series against Australia, Babar could score only 126 runs in 6 innings of the 3 matches he played for his side, with a very miserable batting average of 21.00, without having even a single half-century.

Now, he will be eyeing his comeback in the T20I format, but it might also be challenging for him as the management is keen on bringing Saim Ayub to open the innings. It could let Babar play either on number 3 or number. It can also be said that Mohammad Rizwan and Saim Ayub were seen practising against the pacers with the new ball in the nets. On the other hand, Babar Azam and Fakhar Zaman were practising against the spinners.