"Dande se marna chahiye": Ex-Pakistan star threatens to assault Mohammad Haris for insulting Babar Azam

Mohammad Haris is making headlines ahead of the Asia Cup 2025 with his bold statement on Babar Azam. The young Pakistani wicketkeeper-batter has found himself in hot water after downplaying his former captain Babar Azam’s legacy in a viral interview.

Haris, who recently helped Pakistan secure a 2-1 T20I series win over the West Indies in the Caribbean, was asked about Azam’s batting in the shortest format.

Mohammad Haris faces backlash for questioning Babar Azam's T20 game

He justified Babar’s omission from the Asia Cup 2025 by openly admitting that the right-handed batter “needs to make changes in his T20 approach.”

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When he was asked “fast or slow,” the youngster said, “He needs to play fast in T20” before bursting into laughter, which sparked a backlash and drew criticism from former players, including Basit Ali.

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Even Mohammad Haris suggested that Babar and other senior players step aside to give younger talent a chance, as their peak days are all but over.

The Pakistani star added, “No doubt, Babar and Rizwan have delivered many performances for Pakistan, but when you want to set a benchmark, you need to give chances to the juniors.”

📸:💚🇵🇰
"Babar Azam needs to play fast in T20"
Mohammad Haris...!!!😂#BabarAzam | #BabarAzam𓃵 pic.twitter.com/8mQzUiLoGB

— 𝐅𝐚𝐧❥𝐁𝐚𝐛𝐚𝐫 𝐀𝐳𝐚𝐦 𝐁𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐬🏏 (@Bobi_1A) August 25, 2025

Mohammad Haris should be beaten up with a stick: Basit Ali

Haris’ remarks did not sit well with the former Pakistani cricketer Basit Ali. He said that it was wrong for a young player to question the former captain’s approach in the shortest format. Basit also felt Haris should be “beaten with a stick” for his remarks on Babar.

Basit Ali said on The Game Plan show on YouTube, “Mohammad Haris Babar ke liye baat kare ki unko improvement ki zarurat hai. Unko dande se maarna chahiye. Tum ho kya, ki tum Babar Azam ke liye baat kar rahe ho? Babar Azam kaptaan hota toh, kya yeh bayaan deta woh?

(Mohammad Haris is talking about Babar Azam and says that he needs improvement. He should be beaten up with a stick. Who are you that you are speaking about Babar Azam? If Babar had been the captain, would he have spoken about it?”

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Kamran Akmal slams Mohammad Haris, calls for better player training by PCB

Meanwhile, Kamran Akmal said that the Pakistan Cricket Board should train players on how to handle questions and avoid controversy. Akmal also noted that Haris is no longer a child and should focus on learning from senior stars like Babar to improve his own game instead of making such comments.

Kamran Akmal said on the same show, “It’s the responsibility of the Pakistan Cricket Board to train players when it comes to answering such questions. However, he (Haris) isn’t a kid any longer and understands everything. He should have made it clear that he is in no position to comment on Babar and instead needs to learn from him when it comes to improving his own batting and delivering match-winning performances for Pakistan.”

𝗕𝗮𝘀𝗶𝘁 𝗔𝗹𝗶 𝗼𝗻 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘀'𝘀 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝗕𝗮𝗯𝗮𝗿 𝗔𝘇𝗮𝗺🗣️
"Haris ko is bat per danday se marna chaiye, abey Tum Ho Kia" pic.twitter.com/T4XRSagnWb

— Pakistan Cricket Team USA FC (@DoctorofCricket) August 27, 2025

Notably, Azam’s T20I record is strong, with 4,223 runs in 128 matches, an average close to 40, three centuries, and 36 fifties to his name. However, Babar’s strike rate of 129 has faced criticism, with many feeling he hasn’t fully adjusted to modern T20 cricket, where players often hit at strike rates of 140–150 or more.