Ex-Pakistan Cricketer Doesn't Hold Back, Criticizes Babar Azam for Subpar Batting Performance against Bangladesh: 'All your runs are just practice nets'

Premier Pakistan batsman Babar Azam had a tough time with the bat in the first Test match against Bangladesh at Rawalpindi. Babar, who has been struggling for form recently, had a disappointing T20 World Cup, and those struggles carried over into the Test match as well.

The star batter registered a two-ball duck in the first innings while he was dropped on the first ball in the second innings, but he failed to capitalise on it much and was dismissed for just 22.

Babar, the ICC's third-ranked Test batter, has not scored a fifty in the last 14 Test innings. The last time he got past the mark was in December 2022 against New Zealand with a 161-run knock.

Former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali took a dig at Babar for only batting for longer periods in the nets and not doing the same in match and asked him to skip the knocking in practice sessions.

"Just stop batting in the nets. You score all your runs in the nets, what will you do in the match? You don't play where you need to bat for two hours, but you play for two hours in the nets. Just do skipping and knocking in the practice," Basit said on his YouTube channel.

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Meanwhile, Pakistan suffered their first-ever Test loss against Bangladesh in the first Test. The defeat extended Pakistan's barren run in red-ball cricket at home to five losses and four draws since they last beat South Africa at Rawalpindi in 2021.

Pakistan made several poor judgements throughout the match, starting with the choice of selections as they went ahead with an all-pace attack and then the decision to declare the first innings before 500 with four wickets to spare.

“We have to look upon the mistakes we've made collectively and work on them,” Masood said after losing his fourth successive test match since he was named test captain before the series in Australia late last year.

“I apologize to the whole nation and hope we will do much better in the next game," he added.

Pakistan dropped to eighth in the ninth in the WTC 2023-25 points table table after their defeat, with Bangladesh rose to sixth after their historic triumph.

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