Social media’s unforgiving nature is currently taking a toll on Pakistan cricket star Babar Azam. Once celebrated as the face of the national team, Babar is now enduring relentless criticism due to a significant dip in his form over the past year. The situation has escalated with trolls, derogatory memes, and even fake retirement announcements circulating online.
The latest wave of negativity followed Babar’s underwhelming performance against Bangladesh, where he scored 31 and 11 in the second Test in Rawalpindi. On social media platform X, fake retirement posts about Babar began spreading, with one post appearing on Monday afternoon that closely resembled a genuine retirement announcement, potentially deceiving many fans.
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As this post gained traction, another similar post emerged from an account with a larger following and an X premium subscription, further amplifying the reach. The ‘Babar Azam – Parody’ account took the opportunity to mock the Pakistan white-ball captain, suggesting that he had prepared batting-friendly pitches during his tenure as Test captain to boost his statistics.
Babar’s form has notably declined over the past year, marking a low point in his international career. Following Pakistan’s poor performance in the ODI World Cup in India last year, Babar was stripped of his ODI captaincy. His batting average has suffered significantly, with only 190 runs in 10 Test innings at an average of 19, and his ODI average has dropped to 34. His T20I average during this period is 38, but it wasn’t sufficient to prevent Pakistan’s early exit from the T20 World Cup after a surprising defeat to the USA.
During Pakistan’s tour of Australia last year, Babar accumulated just 126 runs at an average of 21. In the T20I series against England prior to the World Cup, he managed only 68 runs in two matches, averaging 34.00. In the World Cup itself, Babar scored 122 runs in four matches at an average of 40.66, but his low strike rate of 101.66 faced criticism.
In the ongoing series against Bangladesh, Babar’s struggles continue, with just 64 runs in four innings. Despite these challenges, Babar remains focused on regaining his form for Pakistan’s upcoming series against England.
Support for Babar has come from former Australian fast bowler and current Pakistan Test head coach Jason Gillespie. “Babar is a quality player, a world-class talent. He’s very close to returning to his best. I am confident that we will soon see him score big runs. He just hasn’t been able to convert his starts,” Gillespie said.
