Faisal Iqbal: “Babar Azam earlier had the talent to become top batter… but unfortunately he lost focus due to many unwanted reasons”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former Pakistan cricketer Faisal Iqbal knows Babar Azam had the talent needed to become a top batsman, but noted he has lost focus due to numerous reasons.
Azam has been struggling to score runs consistently for many months, which has raised questions as to how long his rough patch will persist.
Faisal believes the 30-year-old’s decision to chase after the captaincy was one of the key reasons why his form has declined.
Azam has captained Pakistan on two separate occasions, initially in all three formats before returning to take charge in limited overs cricket.
While the Lahore native no longer holds any leadership role, Faisal feels the damage has already been done.
“Babar Azam earlier had the talent to become top batter… but unfortunately he lost focus due to many unwanted reasons, most importantly when he desperately [was lured by the] lust of captaincy at all levels with unfair support [and especially removed] someone who was much better!” he said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Azam was recently in action in the 2025 Pakistan Super League (PSL), where he captained the Peshawar Zalmi and amassed 288 runs in 10 games, which included three fifties, at an average of 36 and a strike-rate of 128.57.
After PSL 10, Pakistan faced Bangladesh in a three-match T20I series, which they won 3-0, but Azam was not included in the squad.
He also failed to make the cut for Pakistan’s tour of Bangladesh, where the men in green lost the T20I series 2-1.
Pakistan’s next assignment will be a tour of the West Indies, where they will play three T20Is and three ODIs from August 1 to 12.
Azam will return to action during that tour as he was included in the ODI squad.
Pakistan Squad for West Indies T20I Series: Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Nawaz, Sahibzada Farhan (wicketkeeper), Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Sufiyan Muqeem
Pakistan Squad for West Indies ODI Series: Mohammad Rizwan (captain), Salman Ali Agha, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Mohammad Haris (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Sufiyan Muqeem
Pakistan Squad for Bangladesh T20I Series: Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Ahmed Daniyal, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Haris (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Nawaz, Sahibzada Farhan (wicketkeeper), Saim Ayub, Salman Mirza and Sufiyan Muqeem
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