Umar Akmal on Babar Azam: “I distinctly remember when he was having difficulties with spinners, getting out around midwicket. He came to me and said, ‘Umar bhai, I’m having a bit of trouble'”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan batsman Umar Akmal has revealed Babar Azam asked him for help batting against spinners.
Azam’s weakness against spin has been pointed out on numerous occasions and Akmal recalled how the 30-year-old told him that he was “having a bit of trouble”.
Given that Azam is his cousin, the 35-year-old advised him to adjust his grip, keep his eyes on the ball, and choose his shots wisely.
“I distinctly remember when he was having difficulties with spinners, getting out around midwicket. He came to me and said, ‘Umar bhai, I’m having a bit of trouble,'” Akmal was quoted as saying by A Sports.
“I asked him about his grip on the bat and suggested that when facing a spinner, he should adjust his grip and keep his eyes on the ball until it’s halfway to him. From there, he could choose to cut it or play a shot that wouldn’t go flat.”
Azam recently captained the Peshawar Zalmi in the 2025 Pakistan Super League (PSL) and struck 288 runs in 10 matches, which included three fifties, at an average of 36 and a strike-rate of 128.57.
Despite having a solid campaign, he was left out of Pakistan’s team for the T20I series against Bangladesh in Lahore, the T20I tour of Bangladesh and the T20I series against the West Indies.
He returned for the three ODIs Pakistan played against the West Indies and scored 56 runs at an average of 18.66.
Pakistan are now taking part in a T20I tri-series against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Afghanistan in Sharjah, which will end on September 7.
After that, the men in green will be involved in the 2025 Asia Cup, which will be played in the UAE from September 9 to 28.
Azam was not included in the squad Pakistan announced for the T20 tri-series and Asia Cup.
Pakistan squad for UAE T20I tri-series and 2025 Asia Cup: 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, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Mirza, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem
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