Ramiz Raja: “I met him recently in a cafe and he expressed his frustration at the way he had to face criticism, personal comments over his place in the team and his performances”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ramiz Raja disclosed that batsman Babar Azam expressed deep frustration over relentless personal criticism when they met at a cafe.
Azam’s form had deserted him for many months, but he has slowly started to show signs of getting back to his best, with his top highlight being an unbeaten 102 in Pakistan’s ODI series against Sri Lanka, which was his first international century in more than two years.
Ramiz noted that the 31-year-old was particularly upset by the barrage of personal attacks questioning his place in the national team and his overall performances.
“I met him recently in a cafe and he expressed his frustration at the way he had to face criticism, personal comments over his place in the team and his performances,” he said on his YouTube channel as quoted by NDTV.
Azam missed Pakistan’s T20I tour of Sri Lanka as he played for the Sydney Sixers in the Big Bash League (BBL), where he scored 202 runs in 11 matches, which included two fifties, at an average of 22.44 and a strike-rate of 103.06.
He subsequently returned to action for the men in green in their ongoing three-match T20I series against Australia and began by scoring 24 runs in the first match, which Pakistan won by 22 runs.
The 2nd T20I will take place on January 31.
After the T20Is against Australia, Pakistan will feature in the 2026 T20 World Cup, with their first match coming against the Netherlands on February 7 in Colombo.
Pakistan Squad for T20I series against Australia: Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Nafay (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Nawaz, Salman Mirza, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan (wicketkeeper), Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan (wicketkeeper), Usman Tariq
Pakistan Squad for 2026 T20 World Cup: Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Nafay (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Nawaz, Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan (wicketkeeper), Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan (wicketkeeper), Usman Tariq