Exposing weaknesses of 10 top cricketers

7. Babar Azam—Confused against spin; strike rotation

Pakistan’s world-class talent, Babar Azam's batting, is enjoyable to watch, but his troubles with spin remain unresolved. His footwork is sluggish, and he frequently appears to be trapped in the movement of his feet, particularly on turning tracks. He has suffered fate against good spin even at home in Pakistan.

In limited-overs cricket, Azam’s inability to rotate strike consistently against spin creates pressure on the team. Teams swarm him with close-in fielders and defensive lines, knowing that his scoring rate slows. Until he develops more force and fluency against quality spin, Babar's batting at a decent strike-rate through the middle overs will be a concern, especially in the shorter formats of the game.