Shane Watson: “Babar Azam just doesn’t have an extra gear to score big runs in one over. His strike-rate is 128 which is quite low as compared to the likes of Rohit Sharma and Jos Buttler”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Ex-Australia all-rounder Shane Watson has admitted that Pakistan batsman Babar Azam lacks “an extra gear to score big runs in one over”.
Azam’s T20 batting has been a major talking point in recent times, with opinion divided over whether the format fully suits his style.
The 31-year-old’s strike-rate has often been highlighted as a key concern, particularly when compared to players such as India’s Rohit Sharma and England’s Jos Buttler.
“Babar Azam just doesn’t have an extra gear to score big runs in one over. His strike-rate is 128 which is quite low as compared to the likes of Rohit Sharma and Jos Buttler,” Watson was quoted as saying by journalist Farid Khan on X.
Azam recently featured in the 2026 T20 World Cup but failed to impress, amassing 91 runs in six matches at an average of 22.75 and a strike-rate of 112.34.
He then missed Pakistan’s three-match ODI series against Bangladesh before returning with a bang in the 2026 Pakistan Super League (PSL), where he captained the Peshawar Zalmi and played an instrumental role in helping them be crowned champions.
Azam finished PSL 11 as the highest run-scorer with 588 runs in 11 games, which included two centuries and three fifties, at an average of 73.50 and a strike-rate of 145.90.
He is now with the Pakistan team in Bangladesh for a two-Test series, but wasn’t included in the playing XI for the ongoing 1st Test in Mirpur due to a left knee injury.
The 2nd Test will begin on May 16 in Sylhet.
Pakistan Squad for Bangladesh Test Series: Shan Masood (captain), Abdullah Fazal, Amad Butt, Azan Awais, Babar Azam, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Ghazi Ghori (wicketkeeper), Noman Ali, Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha, Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Shah Afridi
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