Azam Khan: “People don’t value what they have in Babar Azam”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan big-hitting wicketkeeper Azam Khan feels people don’t value batsman Babar Azam even though he is a generational talent.
Babar is consistently held to exceptionally high standards, with fans and critics expecting him to deliver big scores in nearly every match he plays.
The 31-year-old’s rare lean patches often attract disproportionate criticism – something Azam finds unfair given Babar’s remarkable consistency and impact for Pakistan over the years.
“People don’t value what they have in Babar Azam,” he was quoted as saying on Facebook.
Babar did not feature in Pakistan’s recent T20I series against Sri Lanka in Dambulla, which ended as a 1-1 draw after one game was abandoned due to rain.
He is instead representing the Sydney Sixers in the Big Bash League (BBL), where he has accumulated 201 runs in nine matches, which includes two fifties, at an average of 28.71 and a strike-rate of 107.48.
Prior to the BBL, Babar did take part in Pakistan’s T20I tri-series against Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe, and struck 127 runs in five games, which included a top score of 74, at an average of 31.75 and a strike-rate of 112.38.
After representing the Sixers, Babar returned for Pakistan’s three-match T20I series against Australia and accumulated 76 runs, which included a top score of 50 not out, at an average of 38 and a strike-rate of 124.59.
He is now featuring in the 2026 T20 World Cup and made scores of 15 and 46 against the Netherlands and United States of America respectively.
Pakistan’s next match will be against arch-rivals India on February 15 in Colombo.
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