The latest update to the ICC Men’s ODI Batting Rankings has delivered a stark reminder of Babar Azam’s current struggles.
The out-of-form batter has now dropped out of the top five for the first time since his meteoric rise began in 2019. The slip to seventh position comes after a series of underwhelming knocks in Pakistan’s recent 50-over assignments, marking the end of a remarkable near six-year run of dominance among the elite ODI batsmen in the world.
The dip in the rankings is particularly significant when contrasted with the peak of Babar’s One-Day International career — his magnificent run as the World No. 1 ODI batsman.
Babar Azam ascended to the pinnacle of the mountain in April 2021, dethroning the long-reigning Indian maestro Virat Kohli in the ICC ODI rankings. This achievement made him only the fourth batsman from Pakistan to claim the top spot, joining the distinguished company of Zaheer Abbas, Javed Miandad, and Mohammad Yousuf.
His supremacy was not short-lived. Babar Azam held the top position for an astounding total of 29 months, or over two and a half years, before finally ceding the top spot in late 2023. During this period, his consistency became the gold standard for the format.
However, the recent past has seen the star batter struggle for the consistency that once defined his rank. A lean run of scores, where big match-winning knocks have been conspicuously absent, has gradually chipped away at his rating points.
For a player whose ODI average hovers around the elite mark of 50, a significant slump in form is deeply felt. Babar’s current international century drought, which now stands at a concerning number of innings across all formats, has intensified the scrutiny.
While dropping out of the top five marks the end of an era of sheer statistical supremacy, it is by no means the end of Babar Azam’s journey. His pedigree is proven, and the challenge now lies in rediscovering the rhythm that turned him into a One-Day great.