  We report results on semileptonic $B\to\pi l\bar{\nu}$ decay form factors
near $q^2_{\rm max}$ using NRQCD heavy quark and clover light quark actions and
currents improved through $O(\alpha a)$. An inconsistency with the soft pion
relation $f^0(q^2_{\rm max})= f_B/f_{\pi}$ found in a previous work is
confirmed, and a possible solution with nonperturbative renormalization is
discussed. We find that $f^+(q^2)$ is well described by the $B^*$ pole near
$q^2_{\rm max}$, and its $1/M_B$ scaling is also consistent with the prediction
of the pole dominance model.
