Babar Azam fails again, former Pakistan cricketer calls coaches ‘game poison’

Babar Azam’s long Test batting slump continued at Lord’s as the Pakistan skipper fell for just 6 runs in the second innings against England.Chasing a daunting target of 389, Pakistan suffered another early setback when Jofra Archer dismissed Babar, who again failed to hit with the bat. The dismissal added to a difficult period for the former Pakistan captain, who has not scored a Test century since December 2022 despite coming close to the milestone several times.Babar’s latest failure comes as Pakistan try to stay alive in a Test where England are firmly in control.

Yousuf takes aim at coaches

Former Pakistan cricketer and batting coach Mohammad Yousuf has previously raised concerns about Babar’s technical shortcomings and has now criticized the coaches around the star batsman for not addressing the issues.“I warned about this a few years ago but unfortunately some so-called coaches around Babar Azam and other players did not allow him to work on issues that could have been easily resolved. This failure dragged Pakistan cricket into the decline we see today,” he wrote in the caption while sharing the video on X.Yousuf went on to mount a stronger attack on the coaching set-up, arguing that poor leadership is hindering the development of Pakistan’s talented players.“These coaches are a blight on the game. They lack vision, block progress and mislead even the most talented players. If our cricketers don’t learn who to listen to, their careers will end much sooner than they should. The poor technique of our players has now been brutally exposed from Bangladesh to England. What could have been rectified years ago has instead become a glaring weakness on the international stage, endangering Pakistan.The team’s poor record overseas has added to the pressure, with Pakistan losing nine of their last 10 matches away from home, the only win in that run coming against the West Indies.Babar’s individual struggles also coincided with significant changes in Pakistan’s leadership. He was removed as Test captain at the end of 2023 and then returned to the role in July 2026 after Shan Masood’s tenure failed to produce the desired results.