Who said what - top 3 expert reactions to Babar Azam's failure in tri-series final vs New Zealand ft. Basit Ali

Pakistan batter Babar Azam failed to score big in the Tri-series final against New Zealand at the National Stadium in Karachi on Friday, February 14. Batting first after winning the toss, the hosts managed to post only 242 runs on the board.

Opening the innings with Fakhar Zaman, Babar failed to convert his start into a big score. The right-hander scored 29 runs off 34 deliveries, hitting four boundaries and a six at a strike rate of 85.29. He was eventually dimissed by Nathan Smith.

Pakistan also lost the game by five wickets as New Zealand claimed the Tri-series trophy. Moreover, he managed to score only 62 runs from three games in the entire tournament at an average of 20.66 with not a single half-century to his name.

While he failed to score, he reached the milestone of 6000 ODI runs in his international career.

His poor form ahead of the 2025 Champions Trophy comes as a matter of concern for the hosts, who are also the defending champions. That said, let us take a look at some of the expert reactions after his failure in the Tri-series final.

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Top 3 expert reactions to Babar Azam's failure in tri-series final vs New Zealand

#3 Kamran Akmal

Former Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Kamran Akmal, on his YouTube channel 'Catch And Bat with Kamran Akmal', suggested that Babar Azam should take less pressure and focus more on his batting.

He added that when a player tends to think more, he gets confused and therefore fails to perform well. Akmal also suggested that Babar needs to relax his mind.

"Babar was very far away. He got caught and bowled. He needs to release some pressure on himself. When a player thinks too many things he gets more confused. He needs to relax. He is the best player of Pakistan. He needs to focus more," he said.

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#2 Mohammad Hafeez

Former Pakistan captain Mohammad Hafeez took to his official X (formerly Twitter) handle and expressed his opinion on Babar Azam's batting position after his failure in the tri-series final.

Hafeez stated that the team management should let Babar go back to his original No.3 position in the 2025 Champions Trophy. He named the likes of Shan Masood, Imam-ul-Haq, and Abdullah Shafique as options who can open the batting instead.

"1- Shaan Masood 2- Imam-ul-Haq 3- Abdullah Shafique Take anyone as opener & let Babar Azam play at no 3 in Champions trophy. Make things easier for everyone," he tweeted.

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#1 Basit Ali

Former Pakistan batter Basit Ali, speaking on his YouTube channel, questioned the decision to send Babar Azam as an opener. He highlighted that Babar has performed well at No.3 but the thinking and approach to send him as an opener did not allow him to perform well.

"Who is the one who told Babar Azam to open? I am surprised who he is. What crazy people they are [Kaise pagal log hai]. He was performing well at number three, scoring 50-70 against South Africa, but they stopped that too. Now, just 62 runs in three matches in the tri-series. This is the approach, this is the thinking," he said.

Basit Ali added that had Pakistan won the Tri-series, the team would have had better confidence heading into the 2025 Champions Trophy.

"If you had won the tri-nation series, then your confidence level would have been high, every boy's confidence level would have been high,"