File image of Babar Azam.© AFP
As Babar Azam’s flop show with the bat continues, former Pakistan captain Zaheer Abbas has suggested that the star batter should seek help from senior players. While talking about Babar’s poor form, Zaheer said that either the batter has an ego issue or he is too shy to ask for advice from his seniors. Babar continues to labour for runs after his dry spell in international cricket. Since his 151-run blitzkrieg against Nepal in August 2023, Babar is yet to score a century for Pakistan. His lack of form is also evident during the ongoing Pakistan Super League as well. The right-handed batter, who is leading Peshawar Zalmi in PSL, has scored 0 and 1 across two innings in the season so far.
“I have this impression that either Babar has an ego issue or is too shy to seek advice from his seniors in overcoming his current situation,” Zaheer told Cricket Pakistan.
Zaheer also went on to share an incident from the past. He claimed that ex-India captain Mohammad Azharuddin had once approached him for help in batting.
“I vividly recall how former Indian batsman Azharuddin had sought guidance from me on India’s tour to Pakistan in 1989-90. He was struggling to find runs and I told him to change his batting grip. That really helped him regain confidence and improve his performance,” said Zaheer.
Focussing on the technique of Babar, the former Pakistan skipper observed, “I have noticed that Babar’s dismissals of late have had him hurriedly going into his shots which clearly shows he is not finding time to adjust at the crease.”
Meanwhile, Rashid Latif, who too is a former Pakistan captain, said that Babar is unable to get back to form due to the lack of “proper mentor or batting coach” in the team.
“When you’re under pressure, you need to find a way to wriggle out of the situation, but Babar has been unable to maneuver his way through. Unfortunately, there’s no proper mentor or batting coach in the dressing room to guide him. Babar needs to find a way out of the situation himself. He has to evolve,” said Latif.
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