Send Babar Azam to England, Australia to revive his form, urges Mohammad Yousuf

Former Pakistan captain Mohammad Yousuf has urged Babar Azam to travel to England or Australia and work with specialist coaches to resolve technical issues affecting his batting. Yousuf believes the former Pakistan captain should not return to first-class cricket until he works on his technique and warns that more matches in domestic cricket could damage his confidence and career.

The former batsman shared his views on social media after Babar suffered yet another disappointing outing ODI tri-series final against Sri Lanka on Saturday. Pakistan won the tournament but Babar was dismissed for a duck in the title clash.

“I don’t think Babar Azam should play first-class cricket until he resolves his technical issues through specialized coaching. Struggling with domestic cricket could further damage his confidence and career. Send him to an academy in England or Australia,” Yousuf wrote on X.

“He is still Pakistan’s best player and with the right guidance and a bit of effort he can return to his best. I said this four years ago and no one listened. Please listen now,” he added.

Yousuf’s advice comes even as Pakistan ODI captain Shaheen Shah Afridi has hinted that Babar is ready to return to domestic first-class cricket. Speaking after the tri-series final, Shaheen said that the batsman will feature in the match against his side in the coming days.

BABAR FIGHTS IN THE ODI TRI-SERIES

Babar endured a tough campaign in the five-match tournament, managing just 118 runs at an average of 23.60 and a strike rate of 74.21. He failed to register a half-century, with scores of 45, 34, 10, 29 and a duck in the final against Sri Lanka.

His lean run has raised fresh questions about his form and technique, with Yousuf believing specialist coaching rather than immediate exposure to domestic cricket is the way forward.

Babar’s next assignment is expected to be the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy where he is slated to take on Lahore Whites against Shaheen’s FATA side on November 3 in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy. He is also set to lead Pakistan in the two-Test series against Sri Lanka starting on November 9.

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