‘Please listen now’: Mohammad Yousuf’s blunt advice to Babar Azam amid long batting slump

Babar Azam (Photo Reuters) Former Pakistan captain Mohammad Yousuf has urged Babar Azam to travel to Australia or South Africa and work with specialist coaches to address technical flaws in his batting, warning that playing first-class cricket without addressing these issues could further dent the star batsman’s confidence.Yousuf believes Babar needs targeted, specialized coaching to rediscover his best form, rather than relying solely on domestic cricket to prepare for international duties.Babar’s innings was again in the limelight during Pakistan’s chase against Sri Lanka in the tri-series final on Saturday. Although Pakistan won the tournament, Babar failed to make a significant contribution.“He should go to South Africa or Australia and now just focus on batting work. That will help him,” Yousuf said on social media on Sunday.The former Pakistan captain also questioned Babar’s decision to participate in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, where he is scheduled to represent Lahore from November 3, ahead of the two-Test series against Sri Lanka starting on November 9.

“I said that four years ago and nobody listened.

In a strongly worded post on X, Yousuf urged Babar to take up specialist coaching in England or Australia before returning to first-class cricket.“I don’t think BabarAzam should play first-class cricket until he resolves his technical issues through specialized coaching. Struggling in domestic cricket could further damage his confidence and career. Send him to an academy in England or Australia. He is still Pakistan’s best player and with the right guidance and a bit of effort he can return to his best. I wrote this four years ago. Please, no one listens to me now.The advice comes at a crucial stage in Babar’s career. The 32-year-old has scored only one century in ODIs in the last three years despite having 20 hundreds in the format. He has already been dropped from Pakistan’s T20I set-up while his place in the white-ball line-ups has come under scrutiny.A turnaround in form will be essential if Babar is to be considered for Pakistan’s 2027 ODI World Cup squad.

Former Pakistan players were divided over Babar’s struggles

Babar’s decline has remained a major point of discussion, especially after the standards he set between 2018 and 2023, when he established himself among the premier batsmen in world cricket. However, his performances since stepping down as captain after the 2023 ODI World Cup have not matched those levels.Former Pakistan captain Waqar Younis recently said in a podcast that Babar was unlucky to be the best batsman and not get the support he needed from his teammates.Retired all-rounder Imad Wasim also defended Babar and said that he had never seen a Pakistani player face so much criticism and hatred from the media, critics and social media users.With Pakistan’s next T20I assignment and the 2027 ODI World Cup on the horizon, Babar faces mounting pressure to rediscover his form.