Pakistan’s prolific batter, Babar Azam, has emphatically reaffirmed his dedication to playing across all three forms of cricket for his nation, a commitment underscored by his recent title-winning performance and stellar run-scoring in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) following a period of inconsistent form.
The 31-year-old has been a linchpin for Pakistan across disciplines for much of his career but encountered a patch of inconsistent form recently, failing to make a significant impact during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup earlier this year, according to a report today.
However, a title-winning leadership tenure with Peshawar Zalmi in the PSL has rejuvenated the former Pakistan skipper. He finished as the tournament”s leading run-scorer, registering two centuries across 11 matches.
Azam now aims to capitalise on this renewed impetus, translating his domestic success into significant contributions with the bat for his national side across all formats. “My focus is on all three formats,” Babar stated, adding, “I feel a batter should play all cricket and should not limit himself to white-ball cricket.”
He highlighted the importance of red-ball cricket, explaining, “Red-ball cricket teaches you the art of batting long and instils patience in you. It helps you to understand how you can score big runs. And all the learnings from the red-ball game help you in white-ball cricket.”
Babar is poised to get an immediate opportunity to continue his prolific scoring run when Pakistan faces Bangladesh away from home in a two-match Test series commencing on Friday, part of the ongoing ICC World Test Championship.
His last Test century dates back to December 2022. His recent record in white-ball cricket prior to the PSL was similarly modest, with his sole half-century this calendar year coming at T20I level against Australia in early February, just before the T20 World Cup.
Azam acknowledged this lean patch was well below his high personal standards, a challenge he is determined to overcome in the coming years. “I was not up to my own expectations, but it is normal for a batter to struggle with his execution,” he reflected. “You have to take a few steps back and assess where you are going wrong and correct it.”
He credited his support system, “You need support in such times, and my family and close friends kept me motivated. I discussed the areas of improvement with the coaches who are close to me and worked on them.”
Concluding philosophically, Babar remarked, “Life is like a rollercoaster, and things never stay the same. You learn from your good and bad experiences. That is how life goes.”