'Doesn't know whether to pull, hook or leave': Cricket World reacts as Babar Azam falls to England's short ball ploy again

'Doesn't know whether to pull, hook or leave': Cricket World reacts as Babar Azam falls to England's short ball ploy again originally appeared on Cricket News. Add Cricket News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

Pakistan captain Babar Azam fell into England's short-ball trap once again, wasting a prime run-scoring opportunity on a flat pitch.

Former England captain Nasser Hussain brutally called out Babar's indecision, claiming teammate Saud Shakeel is giving him a "masterclass" in handling short-pitched bowling.

Fans and pundits blasted the veteran batter for a complete lack of situational awareness as his red-ball slump continues.

Advertisement

Cricket World reacts as Babar Azam falls to England's short ball ploy again

Pakistan continued to struggle during the final Test against England but the team managed to fight back on a flat track in the second innings, posting over 400 runs on the board. That may not be enough to set a target for the hosts, but it's a positive in an otherwise poor series for the touring batters.

Babar Azam scored a half-century as Pakistan piled up runs. However, his red-ball nightmare continued as he once again walked straight into England's short-ball trap. On a pitch described as the flattest of the year, Pakistan's marquee batter turned a golden opportunity for a massive century into an embarrassing giveaway.

Batting at 76, with Pakistan still 42 runs behind England's first-innings total of 453, his team expected to play a long innings. Instead, Josh Tongue got him once again, having already dismissed him for seven runs in the first innings.

Advertisement

But the worst was yet to come as the failure triggered immediate, widespread scorn across the cricket community. For a player with his experience, repeatedly surrendering to the exact same tactic is no longer just a dip in form.

It was an outright technical and mental collapse, and fans and critics were quick to let him know.

MORE: Ben Stokes jokes about celebrating Durham's promotion at a pub

Fans and pundits slam Babar Azam's struggles vs short ball

Former England captain Nasser Hussain didn't hold back on commentary, ruthlessly contrasting Babar's indecision with the composure shown by his batting partner.

Advertisement

"You bowl short to Saud Shakeel, and he goes down straight away. You bowl short to Babar Azam, and he doesn't know whether to pull, hook, or leave," Hussain observed. "At the moment, Saud Shakeel is giving him a masterclass."

What makes the dismissal so unforgivable is the pitch's road-like condition. With no assistance for the pace bowlers, Babar had an effortless hundred to make before giving his wicket away to a simple bumper routine.

Fans also jumped up on the occasion and called out the skipper for throwing his wicket away.

One fan pointed out the obviousness of England's strategy. "Babar Azam got trapped in the short ball plan and gifted his wicket after playing a fine knock…" he wrote. With a player with more than 10 years of experience and five innings against Tongue, fans expected better from the skipper.

Others echoed this statement. One fan in particular pointed out how embarrassing the dismissal was. "ANOTHER EMBARRASSING WAY TO GET OUT, BABAR AZAM. - Literally threw his wicket away," he posted.

Meanwhile, one fan believed that Babar, as the team's skipper and arguably their best batsman, should have played better. "You'd have thought that Babar Azam would be too experienced to have repeatedly fallen into England's short ball trap," they tweeted, unable to believe that he was still getting tricked by the English strategy.

Others believed that, given the flatness of the Edgbaston pitch, Azam had the chance to finally break his drought of scoring a century, only to throw it all away. "Babar Azam missed out on big runs. Flattest pitch of the year. He had an easy hundred for the taking. And possibly more," they wrote with much melancholy.

One fan pointed out how hilarious it was that, despite playing his debut Test, Razatullah would have a better average than Azam. "So Razaullah will end up with more average than Babar Azam in this series 😭😭."

Azam's flaws have caused both former players and fans to turn on him, questioning his playing sense as well as his responsibility as the skipper to ground his side's innings.

Advertisement

MORE: Warner bizarrely appears to take a dig at Labuschagne in response to the Barmy Army's jab

Chronic indecision against the short ball exposes a broken setup

At this point in his career, Babar should be experienced enough not to fall for the trap when a short ball is bowled with deep fielders in place. Yet the moment an English pacer bangs the ball into the deck, his footwork completely freezes.

The worst thing is that Josh Tongue has been able to dismiss him again and again. Now, with England needing just 130 runs to win the third Test and complete their whitewash, his failure to hold his wicket remains one of Pakistan's most serious flaws.

Advertisement

And until Babar fixes this glaring flaw in his game plan, opposition captains will keep setting the easiest trap in red-ball cricket and watching him walk right into it.

Click here to read article