Shaheen Afridi Shows Support for Babar Azam With Major Praise Ahead of ODI Tri-Series

Shaheen Shah Afridi has shown his support for Babar Azam ahead of Pakistan’s upcoming ODI tri-series, which will feature England and Sri Lanka from October 18 to 31.

During Saturday’s media briefing at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Shaheen was asked about the pressure on Babar following his recent struggles in Test and domestic cricket.

The Pakistan skipper played down the concerns, stressing that Babar still holds a vital place in the team and remains one of its most important players.

"Look, firstly there is no pressure on Babar. He is our main player, and he is the backbone of this team," said Pakistan ODI skipper Shaheen Shah Afridi.

Babar Azam made a good start after being reappointed as Pakistan’s Test captain in July, sharing the Player of the Series award during the team’s two-match tour of the West Indies.

However, he struggled to maintain that form in the next assignment against England. Despite missing the first Test due to injury, Babar managed just 97 runs in the three-match series, averaging 24.25 and scoring only one half-century.

Following the disappointing tour, Babar returned to first-class cricket after nearly nine years, representing Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) in two matches of the President’s Trophy Grade-I.

Unfortunately, his comeback did not go as planned, as he scored only 58 runs across four innings, averaging just 14.5.

Talking to the reporters, Shaheen admitted that Babar had struggled in recent matches, but also pointed to his performance in Pakistan’s last ODI series against Australia. He said Babar was the leading run-scorer of the team in that series, which shows his form in white-ball cricket is still exceptional.

"He also put in some good performances in our last home ODI series and after returning from the England [Test] series. He tried to score runs in domestic cricket as well, but that is part and parcel of the game," said Shaheen Shah Afridi.

"He has always scored runs for Pakistan cricket, and whenever he has represented the country, he has delivered with the bat. Naturally, there is some planning involved, but there are certain aspects of that planning that you cannot control." added Shaheen Shah Afridi.