Babar Azam will need to perform in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 for Pakistan, or there will be consequences, stated legendary pacer Shoaib Akhtar. The 30-year-old batsman has been out of touch since 2023, prompting questions about his place in the team.

The Champions Trophy 2025 will be a tournament in which Pakistan will have a lot to prove after being requested to hand over hosting duties to another nation. Akhtar believes he should make some 'neurological modifications' as new management enters the picture.

“He’s our star, I’ll back him up. But the thing is, with the new management, with a new mindset, he has to create a change in ‘neurological wiring’ that the new management might not consider him in T20Is and even ODIs," Akhtar was seen speaking at a talk show.

Akhtar backed Babar Azam to be the go-to guy with the bat for Pakistan in the upcoming ICC event. Akhtar urged that Babar is in good form so that he may dominate the bowlers and earn a berth in the team. He even hinted that if Babar does not deliver, the selectors may drop him from the team.

“The Champions Trophy is the time and place where Babar needs to be at the forefront for me and Pakistan. He needs to dominate and score three centuries in the Champions Trophy that too in a match-winning cause. If he does that then definetly he can come back. But if not, then the path is going to be very difficult," Akhtar commented.

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