Shane Watson backs Babar Azam to rediscover form against India

Former Australian cricketer, Shane Watson is optimistic about Pakistan skipper, Babar Azam, that he will rediscover his top form in the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 match against arch-rivals India on Saturday.

Babar has had a slow start in the ongoing 50-over World Cup in India, scoring only five and ten runs in Pakistan's first two games of the tournament. Despite Azam's struggles, Pakistan secured victories against the Netherlands and Sri Lanka in Hyderabad.

In their upcoming match against India at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, Pakistan faces a crucial fixture in the group stage of the World Cup.

Prior to this highly anticipated match, Babar Azam has faced criticism on social media for his recent low scores. However, Shane Watson have expressed his support and confidence in Azam.

“Look, he’s a class player. Yes, he’s had a bit of a dry spell, five innings of less than 30 runs. So it’s the first time he’s done that since 2019. You know that things aren’t going that well. So, Babar Azam, even the first couple of balls that he faced, you can see he’s getting in really good positions,” Watson said on Star Sports.

Watson believes that Babar will showcase his best performance against India and isn't entirely out of touch.

“He’s a world-class batter. He’s going to be absolutely ready to go against India. Sometimes you’re just not so much out of touch, you're just out of runs.”