Ottis Gibson: “We just need to get Babar Azam to bat the way he did when he was a young boy making his debut and having those feelings again. I’m sure there’s an outstanding cricketer in there”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Peshawar Zalmi head coach Ottis Gibson wants Pakistan star Babar Azam to bat the way he did when he made his debut, as the batting mainstay continues his push for sustained form.
Azam has endured a difficult period with the bat, but is slowly starting to regain his form, which will be a big relief for the men in green as he is the backbone of the batting line-up.
The 31-year-old was the highest run-scorer in the 2026 Pakistan Super League (PSL) and captained the Zalmi to the title. In total, he made 588 runs in 11 matches, which included two centuries and three fifties, at an average of 73.50 and a strike-rate of 145.90.
Considering how well Azam performed in PSL 11, Gibson knows Azam is capable of becoming an outstanding batsman once again.
“We just need to get Babar Azam to bat the way he did when he was a young boy making his debut and having those feelings again. I’m sure there’s an outstanding cricketer in there,” he was quoted as saying by journalist Saj Sadiq on X.
Azam is currently leading Pakistan in their three-Test series against England, where the men in green trail 2-0 heading into the 3rd Test in Birmingham on September 9.
He missed the 1st Test in Leeds with a finger injury, but returned to play in the 2nd Test at Lord’s, where he made scores of 8 and 6.
Pakistan Squad for 3rd Test against England in Birmingham: Babar Azam (captain), Abdullah Fazal, Arafat Minhas, Azan Awais, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Ali, Muhammad Imran, Mohammad Imran Jnr, Ghazi Ghori (wicketkeeper), Razaullah, Saad Baig (wicketkeeper) Saim Ayub, Sajid Khan, Saud Shakeel, Shan Masood, Abdullah Shafique, Ubaid Shah