Former Star Basit Ali Labels Babar Azam Social Media Hero After Lord’s Disaster Show

Former Pakistan batter Basit Ali has launched a sharp and pointed criticism of captain Babar Azam after another disappointing outing in the second Test against England at Lord's, questioning whether the skipper truly deserves his reputation as one of the game's great players. Pakistan suffered a 194-run defeat on Sunday, conceding the three-match series 2-0 with a match still to play, as their batting order once again collapsed under pressure in a now-familiar pattern that has plagued the side throughout the tour of England.

Chasing an imposing target of 389 in the fourth innings, Pakistan were bowled out for just 194, with Babar managing only six runs in the second innings after scoring eight in the first, finishing the match with a combined total of 14 runs across both attempts. His dismissal in the second innings came off a short-pitched delivery from England fast bowler Jofra Archer that struck his bat and helmet before looping harmlessly to a fielder in the slip cordon. The moment quickly went viral on social media, with many observers describing it as an amateurish way for a player of his stature to get out, further fueling the wave of criticism directed at the Pakistan captain.

Speaking on his digital show "The Game Plan," Basit compared Babar unfavorably with Pakistan's past cricketing greats, arguing that the country's legendary batters earned their reputations by delivering performances specifically when the team was under the most pressure, rather than accumulating runs in comfortable conditions. He suggested that Babar's standing as a "great player" is driven largely by his fan following and social media presence rather than performances that genuinely matter in difficult, high-stakes situations. Basit specifically pointed out that Babar has not scored a Test century in nearly four years, with his last hundred coming in December 2022 against New Zealand in Karachi, a drought that now extends to 1,344 days and 38 Test innings without reaching three figures in the format.

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Basit expressed particular frustration given how heavily Pakistan's batting lineup depends on its captain to anchor the innings during difficult periods, suggesting that Babar's repeated dismissals in critical moments raise serious and legitimate questions about his ability to perform when the team needs him most. He did not limit his criticism to Babar alone, also taking aim at other senior batters including Saud Shakeel, who fell three runs short of a well-fought century after attempting an aggressive shot having already taken on five fielders positioned in the deep, and Mohammad Rizwan, both of whom Basit felt threw away promising positions in the innings through poor shot selection during the second-innings collapse.

The criticism arrives amid renewed and intensifying scrutiny of Babar's form specifically in Test cricket, even as he remains one of Pakistan's more productive batters across the shorter formats of the game. He had entered the Lord's Test as Pakistan's leading run-scorer in the preceding series against the West Indies, having accumulated 193 runs at an average of 96.50 including two half-centuries, a contrast that has only sharpened ongoing questions about his struggles against high-quality fast bowling in overseas conditions, particularly in English conditions favoring seam and swing.

With the series already conceded, Pakistan's focus now shifts toward the final Test of the tour, scheduled to begin at Edgbaston in Birmingham on September 9. For Babar, the remaining match presents an opportunity to salvage some personal form and quiet his critics before the tour concludes, though the mounting weight of expectation and prolonged century drought will likely continue to shadow his performances until he returns to the kind of form that once drew comparisons with the era's other leading batters.

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