Mushtaq Ahmed: “I would have suggested giving Babar some rest. Babar needed a mental break as he was fatigued”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Iconic Pakistan leg-spinner Mushtaq Ahmed believes star batsman Babar Azam needs a break from cricket as he has gone through a lot over the last few months.
Azam stepped down as captain in all three formats following Pakistan’s disappointing performance in the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup.
To make matters worse, his form hasn’t been at its best, which has put him under even more pressure.
This is why Mushtaq feels the 29-year-old should step away from the game for a while so that he has time to relax and recuperate before returning with a bang.
“He faced challenges such as losing the Asia Cup, [losing] the World Cup, and subsequently losing the captaincy amid rumours and difficulties,” he told Cricket Pakistan.
“Often in our culture, we fail to realise the need for breaks. If I were there, I would have suggested giving Babar some rest. Babar needed a mental break as he was fatigued. The management should have taken ownership and advised Babar to take a rest.”
In the recent three-match Test series against Australia, Azam mustered 126 runs at an average of 21.
He fared a lot better in the five-match T20I series against New Zealand as he accumulated 213 runs, which included three fifties, at an average of 42.60 and a strike-rate of 142.
Next up for Azam will be the 2024 Pakistan Super League (PSL), where he will captain the Peshawar Zalmi.
PSL 9 will be played from February 17 to March 18 in four cities – Lahore, Multan, Karachi and Rawalpindi.
Peshawar Zalmi Squad for PSL 9: Babar Azam (captain), Rovman Powell, Saim Ayub, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Mohammad Haris, Aamer Jamal, Khurram Shahzad, Haseebullah Khan, Asif Ali, Naveen-ul-Haq, Umair Afridi, Dan Mousley, Mohammad Zeeshan, Lungi Ngidi, Mehran Mumtaz, Noor Ahmad, Salman Irshad, Arif Yaqoob