Mohammed Yousuf extends support to out-of-form Babar Azam: 'It can't rain forever'

Former Pakistan batter and captain Mohammed Yousuf extended his support to out-of-form star batter Babar Azam, amid a poor run of form and a string of low scores that has continued in the ongoing Test series against Australia. Having managed just 36 runs in three innings Down Under, Babar is facing scrutiny from his fans and cricket lovers across the world. Yousuf gave some words of encouragement to Babar, saying that things will get better. “Be strong now because things will get better, it might be stormy now, but it can’t rain forever,” said Yousuf’s tweet on X (formerly Twitter), which also featured Babar’s picture.

Ever since his 151 against Nepal that kickstarted his Asia Cup campaign, Babar’s form took a nosedive. In the next 15 innings following that, Babar managed just 412 runs at an average of 29.42, with just four half-centuries and best score of 74. Babar’s poor form also affected his team’s fortunes. He scored 207 in four innings during the Asia Cup, out of which 151 came against Nepal. Pakistan failed to reach the final. In the ICC Cricket World Cup, Babar had moderate success as he either searched for runs or the right tempo to score them. In nine matches, he could score 320 runs at an average of 40.00, with four half-centuries at a strike rate of 82.90. Pakistan failed to reach the semifinals, finishing fifth in the points table. Till that match against Nepal, Babar had scored 946 runs in 20 international matches at an average of 47.30, with three tons and six fifties in 21 innings. Now in 35 matches, Babar has 1,358 runs, with his average falling to 39.94, with three centuries and 10 fifties.