Babar's lean patch concerns ex-players

Express Tribune

17-04-2025

Babar Azam's career is at a crossroads.
From being Pakistan's most prolific batsman who topped the ICC rankings in all three formats, to being a gawky struggler at the crease who has not scored a century in the last 43 months, Babar continues to grapple with poor form and has been at the receiving end of fans and critics' wrath.
Dubbed as 'King Babar' by his fans up until 2023, mainly for his fearless batting, brilliant range of strokes and a plethora of records, the right-hander has been a shadow of himself in the past year and a half. His sketchy form has seen him losing the mantle of top batsman while he has also fallen out of favour with the cricket administrators and the selectors. It was for the first time since his international cricket debut in 2015 that Babar was left out of the team for poor form during last year's ODI and T20 tour to Zimbabwe, and again in the recent T20 series in New Zealand last month.
While Babar's prolonged slump in form has drawn flak from a majority of ex-players, a few have sincerely come forward to advise him to sort out his problems by adjusting his technique and concentrating more at the crease.
Former skipper and master batsman Zaheer Abbas, speaking exclusively to Telecomasia.net, said Babar needs to shed his ego and consult his seniors in order to overcome the lean patch.
"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," said Zaheer, nicknamed the Asian Bradman for his scoring spree.
"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.
Zaheer went on to add that Babar's stance at the crease is a rather close one today compared to a more open stance before, and he has little time to adjust himself to the pace of the ball. "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," observed Zaheer.
Former Pakistan Captain and wicketkeeper Rashid Latif provided a different perspective on the Babar situation. "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," said Latif, considered as the best cricketing brain in the country.
"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.
Yet another perspective on the issue was provided by former Test and ODI player Shoaib Mohammad, the son of former Little Master Hanif Mohammad, while talking to Telecom Asia Sport.
"From what I have observed, most of the teams around the world have by now sorted out Babar Azam's strong points, such as his patent cover drive, his pull shot or his weakness on spin bowling, and hence have made life difficult for him," said Shoaib who played 45 Tests and 64 ODIs for Pakistan and was known for his solid batting technique as opening batter.
"Due to this reason, I see a tinge of frustration in Babar's batting these days, especially when the boundaries are not coming for him. But if he is not able to stand and deliver today like he used to, he should settle for singles and doubles and spend time at the crease to build his innings," advised Shoaib.
"Babar recently snubbed a few of his fans and told them not to call him 'king'. There I could clearly see that he is constantly under pressure of that 'king' tag but also does not want to disappoint his fans. This confused mindset seems to be hurting him now. Perhaps, a cricket psychologist will be able to help Babar come out of his predicament," concluded Shoaib.