LAHORE: Pakistan’s premier batsman Babar Azam has defied a challenging form in recent months and reaffirmed his commitment to represent the national team in all three formats.
A constant presence in Pakistan’s line-up throughout his career, the 31-year-old has suffered a slump in performances, including a modest dismissal during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup earlier this year.
Babar, however, rediscovered his rhythm and guided Peshawar Zalmi to a title-winning campaign in the Pakistan Super League (PSL 11) after beating Hyderabad Kingsmen in the final at the Gaddafi Stadium on Sunday.
It marked Babar’s first title as Assam captain and Peshawar Zalmi’s second Pakistan Super League title overall, having previously won the trophy under former West Indies skipper Darren Sammy in 2017.
The right-hander enjoyed a brilliant tournament, finishing as the leading run-scorer with two centuries in 11 matches, rekindling his confidence ahead of international duties.
Talking about his future ambitions, Babar stressed the importance of excelling in all forms of sports.
“My focus is on all three forms,” he said. “I think a batsman should play all cricket and not limit himself to white-ball cricket.
“Red-ball cricket teaches you the art of long batting and inculcates patience in you. It helps you understand how you can score big runs and all the learnings from red-ball play help you in white-ball cricket.”
Babar is expected to carry his renewed form into Pakistan’s upcoming tour of Bangladesh, where they will feature in a two-match Test series starting on Friday as part of the ongoing ICC World Test Championship.
Notably, the last time Babur scored a Test century was in December 2022. His pre-PSL white-ball returns have also been par, with his only half-century coming in a T20I against Australia ahead of this year’s World Cup.
Babur acknowledges the need for self-esteem and resilience to reflect his lean patch.
“I didn’t live up to my own expectations, but it’s normal for a Thunder to struggle with his execution,” he admitted. “You have to take a few steps back, evaluate where you’re going wrong and fix it.
“At times like that you need support and my family and close friends kept me motivated. I discussed areas of improvement with coaches close to me.
“Life is like a roller coaster, things are never the same. You learn from your good and bad experiences. That’s how life goes,” he concluded.