Follow UsAt the end of 2022, when Babar Azam was at his absolute peak in Test cricket, it would have been hard to believe had anyone said that the right-hander will not score another century at home in Test cricket for the next three years.
Cut to October 2025, Babar has somehow ended up faring worse as, forget a ton, he’s now gone almost three years in Test cricket without a single fifty at home.
That’s right, 16.76 reads Babar’s average in home Tests in 13 innings since the start of 2023, and today in the first Test against South Africa, the former skipper endured yet another failure as he perished for 23.
Walking in at 163/2, the right-hander started confidently, with three boundaries off his first 14 balls, but once again flattered to deceive as he got trapped in front by off-spinner Simon Harmer.
Babar’s last six scores in home Tests now reads 23, 31, 1, 5, 8 & 5. 31 is his highest score at home since the start of 2023, and you will have to go all the way back to December 2022 for the last instance of him passing the 50-run mark in home Tests.
He’s averaged just 30.38 during this period in away Tests as well, but he did post a hat-trick of fifties in the away series in South Africa at the start of the year.
Pakistan, after winning the toss and batting, slumped from 163/1 to 199/5 in the first Test in Lahore. This is both sides’ respective first matches of the new World Test Championship (WTC) cycle.