Pakistan limited-overs skipper Mohammad Rizwan has opened up on Babar Azam's recent struggles with the bat. Rizwan opined that the former skipper's struggles pertain to the weight of expectations, given Babar scored heaps of runs during his golden patch.

The Lahore-born cricketer's struggles continued on Wednesday as Wiaan Mulder trapped him lbw for 23 when the Men in Green were chasing a daunting 353 against South Africa. However, Rizwan and Salman Ali Agha stitched a record-breaking stand of 261 to propel the home side over the line with one over to spare. Babar's last three-figure score came in May 2023.

During a press conference after Pakistan's six-wicket win over South Africa, Rizwan said when asked by the reporter about Babar's form:

"Babar Azam ka masla yeh hai hai ki allah ne itne runs karwaaye hain ki him expect kar rahe hain ki woh har match mein hamaare liye 100 karein. Agar hum usko normal dekhein, toh still as a player, woh Pakistan ke liye itna contribute kar raha hai jisse hamaare liye cheezein settle down ho rahi hai. Hum sabki usse expectation kahi zyaada hai kyunki allah ne usse itne runs, itne centuries karwaaye hain ki woh itna bada naam ban chuka hai."

(Babar Azam's problem is that Allah enabled him to score so many runs that we expect to him to get a hundred in every match now. If we look at him normally, he still contributing to the extent that we are achieving stability. Our expectations have increased so much and Babar has become a massive name due to the runs and centuries he has.

"Khushdil said we had chased 350 before" - Mohammad Rizwan

With the hosts gunning down a record 353, Rizwan said the conversation in the middle with Salman was all about setting small targets for themselves. However, he acknowledged that Pakistan's fielding must improve and hopes to see them peak when the Champions Trophy begins. Speaking at the post-match presentation, the 32-year-old stated:

"When God helps, you break all kinds of records. We gave our full effort. We were looking to restrict them to 320 but Klaasen took them to 350. When we were going back after the first innings, Khushdil said we had chased 350 before. Someone said we had chased 340 against some other team. When Agha and I were batting, we set targets for five-five overs. We failed to achieve that a couple of times but mostly did. Our fielding still needs some improvement. Hopefully, we will be able to do it because that's how champion teams play."

Pakistan will meet New Zealand in the tri-series' final on Friday.