Babar Azam surrounded by a fresh controversy as former player blames his teammates for batsman's poor form

Former Pakistan cricketer Hasan Raza made a controversial statement on Babar Azam’s ongoing poor form with the bat after the hosts suffered a humiliating whitewash in the two-match Test series at the hands of Bangladesh in Rawalpindi.

Raza hailed Babar as the best Pakistani batter since the legendary Muhammad Yusuf and Younis Khan while launching a scathing attack on his critics and the former Pakistani players.

He said that the constant criticism of his strike rate has damaged Babar Azam's confidence and form badly.

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Babar Azam has been brought a lot of pressure: Hasan Raza

The former batter insisted that Babar is a technically sound player, which makes him an invaluable asset for the Pakistan cricket team, but his critics were obsessed with his slow performances in white-ball cricket, slamming him for being too slow in an era dominated by power hitters.

Raza reminded that the same thing happened with the former Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq, and he was even famously accused of being a "tuk-tuk" player, but he stunned one and all by breaking records for his fastest T20 fifty later in his career. Although the spotlight is even harsher on Babar.

The Pakistani coach said that Babar Azam was delivering consistently across the formats and single-handedly won the matches for the team, but the relentless scrutiny over his strike rate has shaken his confidence, and now he is facing challenges to coming out of his lean patch.

Hasan Raza was quoted as saying by Geo News Urdu: “Babar Azam has been brought a lot of under pressure because he is a world-class batsman. After Muhammad Yusuf and Yunus Khan, Babar is the best Pakistani batter. He was a very good technical player, but our people have started saying that the strike rate is low.

See, a batsman is technical. He is a technical player who plays ground shots. And in T20 cricket, if you see, when Misbah-ul-Haq came at that time, people were saying that he is a tuk-tuk player. Sir, he has broken the record for the fastest fifty in Abu Dhabi. So, all these things are going on.”

You have shaken Babar's confidence: Raza

Raza said that the constant pressure has shaken Babar’s confidence, saying Pakistan’s cricket system needs a serious overhaul, especially at the grassroots level.

Key players, like Babar Azam, must be nurtured and given the support they need to flourish, rather than being bogged down by external pressures.

He has blamed Pakistan's obsession with quick runs for compromising the development of technically sound players in the country, and even this obsession badly impacted Babar’s confidence.

The constant pressure has robbed Babar, with many wondering how he can recover from this turbulent phase ahead of the crucial Test series against England at home.

Raza signed off by saying, “But you have shaken the confidence of the top-class batter (Babar). He is young and hit 27-28 centuries in Test cricket. So, I think Pakistan cricket has to improve at the grassroots level. And we have to give confidence to our key batters. That's why he is under pressure, and he is not making runs.”

"Babar Azam has been brought under pressure." - Test Cricketer Hasan Raza! #PCB pic.twitter.com/aka8gHH403

— Arfa Feroz Zake (@ArfaSays_) September 4, 2024