Babar Azam returns from the dark, for himself and for Pakistan

“This too shall pass”.

Three years ago, when Virat Kohli – looking far from his best – had fallen further in his dry spell of form, Babar Azam had come out as an unexpected source of support. Four words had been enough to break the internet.

Two months later, Kohli broke a century-less spell stretching 83 innings, and stuck around to win two ICC titles in the next three years.

That tweet is pertinent because Babar, too, has found himself in a similar space. For exactly 83 innings across formats, he couldn’t cross the three-figure mark, looking a shade or two below his best. It finally ended with an ODI century against Sri Lanka, drawing him level with Saeed Anwar for the most by a Pakistan player.

The path downhill

The last two years haven't been the easiest for Babar. And worryingly enough, the dry spell began before he turned 30: conventionally, batters blossom into their best versions by this time. The fact that he is still the third-quickest to 20 ODI tons tells you the breakneck speed at which he was operating.

In August 2023, when he hit his 19th, his ODI average stood at 59.47. Before his 20th, it had fallen to a (still impressive) 53.04. With a 2,000-run cutoff, it’s still the third-best average of all time.

Even Babar’s staunchest critics would have known that the big runs would resurface at some point. But it didn’t help that Babar’s position in Pakistan cricket was challenged around the same time. Much was expected out of their 2023 World Cup campaign: they didn’t qualify for the semis, Babar averaged 40 from nine innings, and quit captaincy soon after.

Within months, he was reappointed white-ball captain as Pakistan wrestled within to give their premier batter his due status. But Babar quit again, another ICC event later.

In the subcontinent, sacking a top-tier cricketer can be a headline-generating exercise. For long, Babar had been the poster boy of Pakistan’s batting, a beacon of hope in a lineup often at odds with consistency, and a tendency to slip on big occasions. But in a rapidly shifting landscape, his own struggle for runs became more glaring.

Perhaps, more one-dayers could have helped Babar fix his tempo last year. It didn’t help that Pakistan played just nine of them in 2024, compared to 25 in 2023, a World Cup year, and 17 this year.

When he was briefly dropped from the Test XI in October last year, it appeared to be a statement by a new selection committee: no one is indispensable. Between then, and the time he returned for the 2024 Boxing Day Test in South Africa, he went 19 Test innings without a fifty.

It took another ICC event to effect another sacking: after their early Champions Trophy exit at home, Pakistan decided to refurbish their T20I side as well, leaving out Babar and Mohammad Rizwan. In August, coach Mike Hesson admitted that Babar had to work on his strike rate and game against spin, if he wanted to make a T20I comeback.

When he didn’t make it to the Asia Cup squad less than six months from the next T20 World Cup, the way back to the top looked even tougher.

Bouncing back from a “tough time”

Naturally, when the runs dried up, the noise outside grew too. Ramiz Raja, the former PCB chair, recently revealed the mindset Babar found himself in: “I met him recently in a café and he expressed his frustration at the way he had to face criticism, personal comments over his place in the team and his performances”.

That gave way to significant relief when Babar spoke after the century against Sri Lanka. “It's in those hard times that you work out who your true allies are,” he said. "It was a tough time. But I backed myself, worked on what I needed to improve, as well as my fitness. In the end, it's about belief.

“These things will go on in your life and you can get stuck in a negative thought process, asking why it's all happening to me. But you need to stick to your plan and believe that you'll get your reward."

In isolation, the century won’t necessarily be discussed among Babar’s finest works. Chasing 289 on a flat Rawalpindi pitch against a lacklustre Sri Lanka attack, he went about it with a level of ease.

But it still had all the markings of a Babar special: the upright, backfoot punches, the trademark cover drives, the firm-bladed pings down the ground, and the delicate yet precise cuts and pulls off spinners.

Sometimes, all it takes is one innings to reset your confidence meter, for the hands and feet to move how you want them. At 31, he doesn’t have to worry about waning reflexes. It’s the inside and outside noise that should now subside. When he took off his helmet in muted celebration, the smile betrayed the relief after the long wait.

Pakistan need Babar

Despite the rough period, Babar very much remains a significant figure in Pakistan cricket. A large section of fans vouch for him, and while the captaincy armband is off, he has the support from within the team. After the South Africa ODIs, where Babar managed scores of 7, 11 and 27, coach Mike Hesson had faith that the big runs weren’t far.

“He’s in the kind of form where those starts will soon start converting,” Hesson said after their historic 3-0 win. “The more he worries about converting them, the less likely it’ll happen. For us, it’s more about focusing on batting well, getting into good positions, making the right decisions — and the big runs will come”.

Back in the T20I fold as well, he hit a 47-ball 68 earlier in the month, sealing the series decider against South Africa. That fifty, his first since May last year, showed where Babar’s stability came into play. Chasing 140, they were 44-2 after seven overs, before Babar laid the base for a comfortable win.

It’s more of the same that Pakistan would need at the T20 World Cup next year. At the last two ICC events – the T20 World Cup last year and the Champions Trophy this year – they suffered embarrassing group-stage exits. Even in the Asia Cup final against India, they ceded a position of strength, going from 84-0 to 146 all out. Perhaps, Babar’s solidity would have helped.

The new year will also kickstart a crucial period for Pakistan: later next year, a Test series in England beckons, a significant assignment in the context of the World Test Championship. There’s also enough ODI cricket ahead of the World Cup in 2027, where Babar could be the key yet again. He was briefly made to open in the Champions Trophy, but No.3 is where he fits well, in a format that is arguably his best.

There is still some work to do: he hasn’t hit a Test ton since December 2022, and his average in the format in the last two years is 24.75. In four T20Is this year, his strike-rate is 112.85, and he started the tri-series with a three-ball duck against Zimbabwe.

He may not be at his best yet, but the recent signs serve enough encouragement. In the ever-changing formula of Pakistan cricket, there are very few constants: before the dark phase hit, Babar’s dependability was one of them.

“Thankful for those who believed when it was quiet,” Babar wrote in a tweet this month. It might have taken some time, but the cheers have started again.

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