'Babar Azam was not utilised properly in T20 World Cup': Azhar Mahmood

KARACHI: Azhar Mahmood has come out strongly in defence of Babar Azam, saying the star batter was not utilised properly during Pakistan’s T20 World Cup campaign, where expectations around strike rate forced him away from his natural game.

Speaking after Peshawar Zalmi’s emphatic 118-run win over Quetta Gladiators at Karachi’s National Bank Stadium on Sunday, the Zalmi bowling coach pointed to Babar’s unbeaten 100 off 52 balls as evidence of his class and return to rhythm.

The innings, marked by fluent stroke play, helped Zalmi post a commanding total and highlighted Babar’s form in the ongoing Pakistan Super League, where he has already crossed 400 runs at a strike rate above 143.

“Babar has always been world-class,” Azhar said, adding that the batter had only been going through a brief lean phase. He noted that during his time with the national Test side, he had worked closely with Babar and encouraged him to stick to his natural, classical style rather than forcing aggressive power-hitting.

“He is a proper cricketing shots player. He is not someone who goes and plays power-hitting straight away,” Azhar said, describing Babar’s batting as “artistic” and praising the way he constructed his innings.

According to Azhar, the message to Babar was simple: play freely and return to the style that made him successful.

Turning to the T20 World Cup, Azhar argued that the decision to push Babar down the order and the intense scrutiny over his strike rate created unnecessary pressure.

“When you made him bat at number four in the World Cup, people talk about his strike rate,” he said, adding that Pakistan does not typically produce players with extremely high strike rates.

“Babar’s strike rate in international cricket is 128. But what you get with Babar is consistency. He sets a platform… after that, your power-hitters can play freely.”

He maintained that the criticism surrounding Babar’s strike rate, combined with how he was deployed in the lineup, contributed to his struggles.

“I think there was a lot of hype on Babar that his strike rate is low, and the way we have used him… he wasn’t utilised properly,” Azhar said.

The former all-rounder also widened the discussion to structural issues within Pakistan cricket, criticising the system’s focus on short-term results over long-term development.

“In Pakistan, there is too much focus on the outcome… I believe you have to work on the process,” he said, stressing the need for consistency in player roles and selection.

Azhar further pointed to instability in the coaching setup, noting that frequent changes — with multiple coaches coming and going in recent years — had created uncertainty among players.

“Every coach has his own mindset… players don’t know who will be there tomorrow,” he said, suggesting that lack of continuity has affected performance and confidence at the international level.