The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has reportedly decided to promote star batter Babar Azam as an opener in the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025, drawing inspiration from legendary Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar.
According to reliable sources, Babar, who traditionally bats at number three, has been asked to take on the opening role in the absence of Saim Ayub. The young opener was ruled out of the tournament due to an ankle injury sustained during Pakistan’s tour of South Africa.
PCB management sees similarities between Babar and Tendulkar’s early careers. Tendulkar, who started as a middle-order batter in 1989, was later promoted to the opening position, which became a turning point in his career. In his first match as an opener, he smashed 82 off 49 balls. Over his career, Tendulkar played 344 ODIs as an opener, amassing 15,310 runs at an average of 48.29 with 45 centuries.
Sources reveal that Pakistan’s head coach Aqib Javed, batting coach Shahid Aslam, and captain Mohammad Rizwan convinced Babar to open for the national side. The team management believes he can replicate the impact that Tendulkar had for India after moving up the order.
Notably, Babar only opened two ODIs for Pakistan in 2015. However, he has been a consistent opener in T20Is for more than two years.
Pakistan Squad for Tri-Nation Series & ICC Champions Trophy 2025:
Mohammad Rizwan (wk/c), Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Khushdil Shah, Faheem Ashraf, Saud Shakeel, Naseem Shah, Tayyab Tahir, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain, Usman Khan, Haris Rauf.[embedpost slug="/why-were-key-players-dropped-the-selection-of-faheem-ashraf-in-champions-trophy-squad/"]
