Former batter Basit Ali said that Babar Azam dropping to the ninth spot in the ICC Test rankings for batters could prove to be a blessing in disguise for the star player. He feels that Babar will not try to score runs.
He was earlier placed at No.3 in the ICC rankings in the five-day format. However, his twin failures in the first Test against Bangladesh impacted the batter’s standings.
“The big news for me is Babar Azam slipping down to No.9 in the ICC rankings. This is good for him. The same thing should happen with him in the ODIs as well. He is not the number one in the fifty-over format. Now Babar will be hungry, and if he doesn’t perform now, it will hurt a lot. The ICC updating the ranking ahead of the second Test could be a blessing in disguise for Babar,” he said.
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Babar Azam was dismissed without troubling the scorers in the first innings, while he managed 22 in the second. Bangladesh won the contest by 10 wickets for their maiden Test win over Pakistan.
“Pakistan should copy India’s style”: Basit Ali
Basit Ali wants Pakistan to organize tournaments like the Duleep Trophy to improve the performances of the players.
“PCB has introduced a new fifty-over tournament Champions Cup. Pakistan is copying the systems of Australia, New Zealand and England. You need to be intelligent in copying as well. Just copy what India is doing. They will play the Duleep Trophy. It is a four-day tournament. They are working on their core, and that is why they are successful.”
Pakistan will take on Bangladesh in the second Test on Friday, August 30.