Kamran Akmal: “I have advice for Babar Azam. If he gets the contract, he should go and play county cricket. If he wants to get back in form and become a big player, it will benefit him”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former Pakistan wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal has advised batsman Babar Azam to play county cricket in England as it will help him “get back in form and become a big player”.
Azam has struggled to score runs on a consistent basis, which has really hurt the men in green as he is their frontline batsman.
The 30-year-old has shown signs of improving lately as during the 2025 Pakistan Super League (PSL), where he captained the Peshawar Zalmi, he struck 288 runs in 10 matches, which included three half-centuries, at an average of 36 and a strike-rate of 128.57.
With the English county season already underway, Akmal believes Azam should look to secure a contract and bat in tough conditions.
“I have advice for Babar Azam. If he gets the contract, he should go and play county cricket. If he wants to get back in form and become a big player, it will benefit him,” Akmal was quoted as saying by Khel Shel on X, formerly known as Twitter.
After PSL 10, Azam was overlooked for Pakistan’s three-match T20I series against Bangladesh in Lahore, the T20I tour of Bangladesh, and the T20I series against the West Indies.
He did, however, feature in the three-match ODI series against the West Indies and finished with 56 runs at an average of 18.66.
The men in green are now taking on the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Afghanistan in a T20I tri-series in Sharjah, which will conclude on September 7.
Following this, Pakistan will play in the 2025 Asia Cup, which will be held in the UAE from September 9 to 28.
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