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The former Pakistan legend, Zaheer Abbas opens up on the possible reasons behind Babar Azam’s recent batting struggles.
Babar Azam is going through his worst phase in his cricketing career.(Image: AP)
The legendary Pakistan Zaheer Abbas opened up on Babar Azam’s recent batting struggles. The 30-year-old batter has struggled to get back to his best form, which remains synonymous with the team’s struggles in recent times as well.
Zaheer, who is the only Pakistani batter to have scored 100 centuries in first-class cricket and shared his take on Babar’s batting woes.
“I think either Babar has an ego issue or is too shy to seek advice from his seniors in overcoming his current situation,” Zaheer said as quoted by PTI.
The former Pakistan international even expressed that despite the rivalries between India and Pakistan, players used to ask each other advice during their poor phases, citing the examples of Younis Khan or Mohammed Azharuddin during their playing days.
“I think in 2016, Younis Khan spoke to Muhammad Azharuddin and went on to score a double hundred in England. I also recall how Azharuddin had sought guidance from me on India’s tour to Pakistan in 1989-90,” the batting artist said.
“He was struggling to find runs, and I told him to change his batting grip. Saeed Anwar sought Sunil Gavaskar’s advice,” he added.
Zaheer feels that Babar’s batting stance has closed up as opposed to a more open approach he had when he was in his best form in the past.
“I think because of this, he is struggling to time his shots and is getting out early,” he said.
Babar remains Pakistan’s leading batter across all formats and has been going through his worst phase in the past few months, with almost two years having passed since he last scored an international century. This knock was against Nepal in the Asia Cup back in 2023.
Even in the ongoing Pakistan Super League, Babar has struggled to come good and has been dismissed fairly cheaply whilst leading the Peshawar Zalmi franchise. He had shown decent signs of form during their recent tour of New Zealand, where he scored 129 runs in the three ODIs he played, but the impact has yet to be seen as the side struggles to find consistent wins.
