Mudassar Nazar: “Babar Azam has not played first-class cricket for 3 or 4 years and that is absolutely criminal”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former Pakistan cricketer Mudassar Nazar said it is “absolutely criminal” that batsman Babar Azam has not played any first-class cricket for the last three to four years.
Azam has been struggling to score runs consistently for a prolonged period of time, which has resulted in him being heavily criticised as he is supposed to be the leader of the batting attack.
Nazar feels that the 30-year-old should be playing domestic cricket as it will enable him to rediscover his form and get back to performing at his best.
“Babar Azam has not played first-class cricket for 3 or 4 years and that is absolutely criminal,” he was quoted as saying by respected journalist Saj Sadiq on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Azam recently featured in the 2025 Champions Trophy, where he made 87 runs in two matches, which included a top score of 64, at an average of 43.50.
He then proceeded to play in a three-match ODI series against New Zealand and ended up making 129 runs, which included two half-centuries, at an average of 43.
Currently, Azam is captaining the Peshawar Zalmi in the 2025 Pakistan Super League (PSL) and has accumulated 288 runs in 10 matches, which included three fifties, at an average of 36 and a strike-rate of 128.57.
PSL 10 will finish on May 25.
Peshawar Zalmi Squad for PSL 10:
- Platinum: Babar Azam (captain), Saim Ayub, Tom Kohler-Cadmore
- Diamond: Corbin Bosch, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Haris
- Gold: Abdul Samad, Hussain Talat, Nahid Rana
- Silver: Arif Yaqoob, Najibullah Zadran, Max Bryant, Mehran Mumtaz, Sufiyan Muqeem
- Emerging: Ali Raza, Maaz Sadaqat
- Supplementary: Ahmed Daniyal, Alzarri Joseph