“It is against Zimbabwe or against smaller teams” - Former Pakistan bowler’s brutal attack on Babar Azam after IND vs PAK 2025 Champions Trophy match

Former Pakistan spinner Danish Kaneria has slammed ace batter Babar Azam for his poor performance in the 2025 Champions Trophy. After his slow-paced 90-ball 64 derailed Pakistan's 321-run-chase in the tournament opener against New Zealand, Babar was dismissed for 23 against India.

His lack of big scores meant Pakistan lost both matches and were eliminated from semifinal contention less than a week into the tournament. Babar's form has been under scrutiny over the past year and a half, with the batter still searching for his first international century since August 2023.

In an interview with ANI, Kaneria questioned Babar's ability to step up against the better teams, saying [via India Today]:

"Babar has not scored runs for so long. But when he scores, it is against Zimbabwe or against smaller teams. If he scores against big teams. So, there is no intent at all."

Before the India match, Kaneria had accused Babar of putting personal milestones ahead of the team's interests.

"If we talk about Babar Azam, he is playing for himself. When he is under pressure, he focusses on keeping his stats and ICC ranking intact. I have scored a fifty, I have done it. But where is the intent of winning the match for your side? he said [via India Today].

Despite the criticism, Babar remains Pakistan's most accomplished ODI batter with 6106 runs at an average of 55.51 and a strike rate of almost 88 in 128 games.

"There is no depth in the batting" - Danish Kaneria on Pakistan

During the interview with ANI, Danish Kaneria further questioned the depth in Pakistan's batting after their early exit from the 2025 Champions Trophy. The former leggie also criticized skipper Muhammad Rizwan for his shoddy batting in the tournament.

"There is no depth in the batting. Salman Agha and Khushdil Shah make some contributions sometimes. Saud Shakeel is a technically correct batter. But Rizwan's bat seems to have stopped working. When the Champions Trophy squad was announced, one could see it getting eliminated pretty soon out of the tournament," Kaneria said.

Rizwan has been woeful in Pakistan's two games, scoring a 14-ball 3 and a 77-ball 46 against New Zealand and India, respectively. His average of 24.50 with a strike rate of under 54 has played a massive role in Pakistan's overall batting debacle.

The side will play for pride in their inconsequential final Group A game against Bangladesh in Rawalpindi on Thursday, February 27.