Former England captain Nasser Hussain has weighed in on the growing pressure faced by Pakistan's star batter Babar Azam, following his extended run of poor form in Test cricket. Hussain highlighted that Babar, widely regarded as Pakistan’s best batter, has been struggling significantly, which is reflecting in the overall performance of the Pakistan cricket team.

In the recently concluded first Test against England in Multan, Babar managed just 35 runs across two innings, with scores of 30 and 5. This match marked Babar’s 18th consecutive Test innings without a half-century, a streak that has raised questions about his form and confidence. His last fifty-plus score came in December 2022, when he scored 161 against New Zealand.

Speaking on Sky Sports at the end of the Multan Test, Hussain did not mince his words when discussing Babar’s slump.

"Their (Pakistan) best player - a world-class player - Babar Azam is horrendously out of form. It's nine Test matches without a half-century - on these pitches! Maybe that's psychological, with everything that he's been through, giving up the white-ball captaincy," Hussain stated.

He further emphasized the mounting pressure on the star batter.

"In this part of the world, if you are Babar Azam and you go two games without a half-century or a hundred, the pressure builds, let alone eight, nine Tests. The pressure is on him, definitely," Hussain added.

recognizing that the weight of expectations on Babar is immense, especially when results are not going Pakistan's way.

In addition to his concerns about Babar’s form, Hussain also addressed Pakistan's struggles with their fast bowling unit. He pointed out that none of the three seamers currently in the side possess express pace, which has made their job particularly difficult in conditions like those in Multan.

"You wouldn't say any of their three seamers that they are playing at the moment are express pace. That's a dangerous combination. You have a top order that's failing in the second innings and you're not sure what pitch to prepare that suits your bowling attack," Hussain observed.

Hussain also reflected on the lack of quality spinners in the Pakistan setup, a stark contrast to the country’s rich history of producing world-class spinners like Abdul Qadir, Saqlain Mushtaq, and Mushtaq Ahmed.

"Pakistan don’t have good spinners. The land of Abdul Qadir, Saqlain Mushtaq, Mushtaq Ahmed hasn’t seen a match-winning spinner in the recent times. They once produced great mystery spinners,"he said.