'It's a crime': Waqar Younis slams Babar Azam, Pakistan for lack of intent after New Zealand defeat

Former Pakistan captain and fast bowling great Waqar Younis has lambasted Babar Azam and team’s top-order batters for their crushing 60-run defeat to New Zealand in the Champions Trophy 2025 opener on Wednesday. As an ICC event returned to Pakistan for the first time since 1996, the Men in Green batters failed to cope with the pressure created by New Zealand’s bowlers.

Babar Azam scored a slow-paced fifty (64 off 90 balls) while his opening partners Saud Shakeel made six off 19 balls. Captain Mohammad Rizwan managed just 4 off 14 balls and Fakhar Zaman scored 24 off 41.

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Babar had the best strike rate among the top four batters with 71.11 while Shakeel and Rizwan scored at a rate of less than 50 when Pakistan were chasing 321 at the National Stadium in Karachi.

Waqar Younis slams Babar Azam, Pakistan’s lack of intent

Waqar Younis did not mince words as he criticised Babar Azam for his lack of intent during a slow-paced fifty. The 53-year-old legend said such innings will cost more games than they will win.

“When he plays well, there’s no better sight, simple as that. But if you are going to take 90 balls to make 60 then you are going to lose more games,” Younis said on Sports Central’s show Dressing Room. “That is what happened. Even when he was opening in T20Is, we were screaming about it that he and Rizwan are making fifties each but we were not reaching the winning score.”

Waqar Younis also touched upon what is wrong with Pakistan’s batting in white-ball cricket. He analysed that the approach from the beginning is outdated as Pakistan look to save wickets while they need to look for boundaries.

Waqar Younis said the way Pakistan’s top-order batter batted against New Zealand was a crime. “Your first initial thought in white ball cricket is to look for boundaries, six or four, as Fakhar Zaman does. The intent should be that I will go after the bowler and if it’s a good ball, I will nudge it for a single or two. That intent was missing,” Younis said.

“Saud Shakeel played 19 balls and made 6 runs. 60 off 90 (from Babar) we have already seen. Rizwan made 3 from 14 balls. If you are chasing 250 then I will say take your time but if you are chasing 320 then it’s a crime. And if you are committing a crime from the top then there’s nothing for lower-order batters to do.”

Pakistan’s next match in the Champions Trophy 2025 is against India on 23 February in Dubai and another defeat could see them getting knocked out of the tournament.