Follow UsBabar Azam usually bats at three for Pakistan, but in the One-Day International (ODI) tri-series, he has opened in both games, indicating that the batter will continue doing so even in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
Had Saim Ayub been fit, he would have opened the innings instead of Babar, but the youngster's injury has forced the former skipper to bat higher.
"His [Ayub's] absence created a huge disturbance, and we went for the safety of Babar Azam, who's our best batter," skipper Mohammad Rizwan said ahead of the tri-series final against New Zealand.
"At the top, if the ball swings, he can control it. When Abdullah Shafique got out early in South Africa, Babar had to deal with the new ball anyway. He was coping with the seam and swing and enabling us to attack at the end. So we thought why not go for our most technically solid player to open, rather than throwing someone else in at the deep end."
Rizwan has backed Babar to succeed at the top despite scores of 10 and 23 in the two matches of the series so far.
"Babar has achieved so much that we are expecting him to score a hundred in every match. He has made a big name; but if you look at him with a normal lens, he is still contributing with handy knocks," Rizwan said.
"It's not as if he is doing something drastically different, but he is still getting out. Luck has evaded him. I am confident he'll come out of it."
Pakistan go into the final high on confidence after registering their highest-ever run-chase in ODI history in their previous game against South Africa, with Rizwan scoring a match-winning ton.
They begin the Champions Trophy campaign against New Zealand in Karachi on February 19.