Fakhar Zaman puts his weight behind Babar Azam amid poor form

LAHORE: Pakistan's left-handed opener Fakhar Zaman has backed star batter and former skipper Babar Azam to perform well amid prevailing poor form.

Babar, who has yet to score a century since his 151-run knock against Nepal in August 2023, is under a lot of scrutiny due to his inability to score big across formats.

The right-handed batter, who was promoted to open the innings alongside returning Fakhar in the ongoing tri-nation ODI series and the ICC Men's Champions Trophy 2025 to follow, could not turn the tide in his favour as he was dismissed for a scratchy 10 off 23 deliveries in the opening match against New Zealand.

Meanwhile, Fakhar, who top-scored for the green shirts in their crushing 78-run defeat in the tri-series opener against New Zealand, remained confident in the star batter’s abilities to find his lost touch with the bat.

"It happens in cricket but the class and legacy of Babar is such that you can not say much about one match and you will see that he will perform in the upcoming matches," said Fakhar at the post-match press conference on Saturday.

His remarks come as the hosts suffered a humiliating defeat against the Black Caps after failing to chase the 331-run target in the match, the first of the trilateral series which also includes South Africa.

"And again, when it's your day, even your edge would dodge the keeper and run away for the boundary but if it is not your day, then you must have seen, how well they took the catch of Tayyab [Tahir]," remarked the left-handed batter.

Fakhar also expressed his disappointment with the national team’s gruelling defeat in the tri-series campaign opener.

"I am disappointed with the loss, but I am not worried about not scoring a century," Fakhar said.

The opening batter also thanked the fans for a warm reception upon his return to the national team.

"I was out of the team for a while, and I am thankful for the love and support I received from everyone upon my return," he concluded.