Tanvir Ahmed: “I am looking for the old Babar Azam who used to play fearlessly because there still seems to be fear in Babar’s batting”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former Pakistan pace bowler Tanvir Ahmed said he wants to see the old Babar Azam again – the version of the star batter who played a fearless brand of cricket and dominated bowling attacks with ease.
He recalled how, during those times, Azam’s confidence was obvious as he regularly took the game to the opposition and scored freely all around the ground.
Tanvir lamented that, in recent times, that same authority has faded, with the 31-year-old now appearing to bat with a degree of hesitation and fear instead of his usual fluency.
“I am looking for the old Babar Azam who used to play fearlessly because there still seems to be fear in Babar’s batting,” he was quoted as saying by journalist Arfa Feroz Zake on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Azam is in action in the 2026 T20 World Cup right now and has scored 66 runs in four matches at an average of 22 and a strike-rate of 115.78.
The men in green have secured their spot in the Super Eights after winning three matches in the group stage, which came against the Netherlands, United States of America and Namibia. Their only loss came at the hands of India.
Pakistan will kick off their Super Eights campaign against New Zealand on February 21 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