Babar Azam’s Short-Ball Struggles Continue Against England
On the flattest pitch of the series, with Pakistan finally showing some resistance and runs flowing freely, their captain walked straight back into the same ambush that has stalked him all tour.
England set the trap. Babar Azam fell in. Again.
Pakistan’s batters finally found some backbone in the second innings of the final Test, grinding their way past 400 on a road-like surface that offered almost nothing to the quicks. It may still fall short of setting England a truly testing target, but in the context of a bruising, one-sided series, it was at least a sign of life.
Babar seemed to be at the heart of that fightback. He moved to a composed 76, the kind of platform from which great players cash in, especially with Pakistan still 42 runs shy of England’s 453. This was the moment for their marquee batter to bury his red-ball demons and turn a good innings into a defining one.
Instead, the same story played out. Same bowler. Same plan. Same result.
Josh Tongue, who had already removed Babar for seven in the first innings, went short again. The field went back. The plan could be seen from the top tier. Babar saw it too, but once more he seemed trapped in his own mind, caught between options, his feet rooted as the ball climbed. The dismissal turned what should have been an effortless hundred on a benign surface into another chapter in a worrying pattern.
The reaction was instant and unforgiving.
Hussain’s Brutal Verdict
On commentary, Nasser Hussain cut straight to the heart of the issue. He contrasted Babar’s muddled response with the clarity shown by his partner at the other end, Saud Shakeel.
"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."
That word – masterclass – stung. Because it summed up what everyone could see. Shakeel looked decisive, clear in his method against the bumper. Babar looked stuck, neither committing to attack nor defence, and paying the price.
On a surface described as the flattest of the year, with pace bowlers getting almost no assistance, the dismissal felt unforgivable to many. This was a day to fill your boots, not hand your wicket away to a simple, telegraphed routine.
Fans Turn on Their Captain
Social media did not hold back. One fan highlighted the predictability of it all: “Babar Azam got trapped in the short ball plan and gifted his wicket after playing a fine knock…” The frustration wasn’t about the score of 76; it was about the manner of the exit, the sense of déjà vu against a bowler he has now faced five times in the series.
Another supporter was even more direct: “ANOTHER EMBARRASSING WAY TO GET OUT, BABAR AZAM. - Literally threw his wicket away.” That word – embarrassing – has started to creep into the conversation around his dismissals, not just his form.
Others simply could not believe that a player with more than a decade of international experience could keep falling for the same ploy. “You'd have thought that Babar Azam would be too experienced to have repeatedly fallen into England's short ball trap,” one fan wrote, echoing the disbelief running through Pakistan’s supporter base.
There was also a deep sense of what might have been. “Babar Azam missed out on big runs. Flattest pitch of the year. He had an easy hundred for the taking. And possibly more,” another fan lamented, summing up the waste on a day tailor-made for a big captain’s innings.
The numbers cut too. One fan pointed out the irony that debutant Razatullah could end the series with a better average than Babar: “So Razaullah will end up with more average than Babar Azam in this series 😭😭.” The joke carried a serious edge – Pakistan’s supposed batting anchor has instead become one of their weakest links in this format.
What stings most for supporters and former players alike is not just the mode of dismissal, but what it says about his responsibility as skipper. His job is to steady innings, to set standards, to show the way. Instead, his flaws are becoming the talking point.
A Technical Flaw, a Mental Block – or Both?
By this stage of his career, Babar should not be surprised by a short ball with deep fielders waiting. Yet every time an English seamer bangs it in, his movement stalls. The indecision is visible. He hangs in the corridor between the pull, the hook, and the leave – and ends up nailing none of them.
That is no longer just a lean patch. It looks like a technical and mental tangle he has not yet solved.
The most damning detail? It’s Josh Tongue, a relative newcomer, who has repeatedly exposed him. The same bowler, the same plan, the same hesitation. Tongue has turned Babar’s weakness into a personal battle he keeps winning.
England now need only around 130 runs to complete a series whitewash. In a contest that has repeatedly swung their way, Babar’s inability to hold firm in this innings stands out as one of Pakistan’s most damaging failures. His wicket was the one they could least afford to give away cheaply. It went, again, on England’s terms.
Until Babar confronts this glaring flaw – in method, mindset, or both – every opposing captain will keep circling the same option on the field map. Set the trap. Push the men back. Bang it in.
And wait for one of the world’s most gifted batters to blink first.
