Misbah-ul-Haq leaks Babar Azam’s plan to bounce back after poor form

Peshawar Zalmi batting coach Misbah-ul-Haq has lauded Pakistani veteran and Zalmi skipper Babar Azam for his stunning innings against the Karachi Kings. He claimed that the batter was trying to change his game, which was not working for him, but now he has returned to his strengths, and the outcome is sheer brilliance.

Babar Azam, the veteran Pakistani batter and the highest-ever T20I run-getter, has been out of form for the past few years. Not only has his form dipped, but he has also faced immense criticism for his slow-paced innings with a low strike rate.

Amid criticism after Pakistan's exit from the T20 World Cup and being snubbed from the ODI side for Pakistan's tour to Bangladesh last month, the veteran has played a fine hand for his PSL franchise, Peshawar Zalmi. After their recent victory over the Karachi Kings, the Peshawar Zalmi remain the only undefeated side of PSL 2026.

SHORTS

View More

Your daily dose of cricket!

Loading...

Babar Azam's spectacular innings in the PSL show glimpses of returning form

What everyone witnessed at the Karachi National Stadium on Thursday was truly a rare glimpse of a stunning T20I display featuring the Peshawar Zalmi and the Karachi Kings. Though the match ended in a one-sided manner, the batting masterclass by the Zalmi batters was one worth mentioning.

Babar Azam, who had had starts in the two previous matches, did not stop this time, as he converted his start into a massive score. Azam scored his first half-century of the season, and what looked better was his strike rate.

He went on to score 87 runs and remained unbeaten till the very end, having played 51 balls. With 10 fours and 2 sixes, he batted with a strike rate of 170.59, which was promising for a batter who walked Zalmi through the entire innings.

"Babar is trying to play to his strengths," coach Misbah-ul-Haq reveals the reason behind Babar's turnaround

After the stupendous innings from the Pakistani batter, former Pakistani captain and Peshawar Zalmi batting coach Misbah-ul-Haq has largely praised his efforts, calling him an extraordinary cricketer who has returned to his strengths.

After the immense criticism of his poor strike rate, Babar Azam was trying to change the type of his strokeplay, as per Misbah. However, those new techniques were not conventional for Babar, and he was not getting the desired results. He has hence returned to his original style of timing the ball well.

"Babar is trying to play to his strengths. At one point, he was changing his game and losing his shape. Now he has realized this & he’s going back to his original style, focusing on timing the ball and maintaining his shape. That’s what he’s trying to do. Doing what he does best, he played an excellent innings today," said Misbah-ul-Haq.

Kusal Mendis took Peshawar Zalmi to a mammoth total

Peshawar Zalmi might hand a huge lot of credit to Babar Azam for having held the innings together; however, it was evident to all who watched the game that had it not been for Kusal Mendis, Zalmi could have been nowhere near the mammoth total.

The Sri Lankan batter who was part of the Gujarat Titans squad last season, as Jos Buttler's replacement, is playing in the PSL this season after promising T20 World Cup form. He scored his maiden PSL hundred and smashed 109-runs off just 52 balls, striking at 209.62.

It was at the back of this massive total that Zalmi managed to clinch a massive 159-run victory over the Karachi Kings after having dismissed them for a score of 87.

ALSO READ: Fastest ever! Babar Azam breaks Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli’s massive T20 record amid PSL 2026