“I feel you are your biggest coach” - Babar Azam opens up on how he deals with a low phase
Former Pakistan captain Babar Azam has admitted that he seeks advice from people when things are not going right for him on the cricket field. He, however, added that the biggest learning comes from within and hence a sportsperson himself is the best person to understand where he is going wrong.
While Babar has been one of Pakistan's most prolific batters over the last few years, he has had his share of lows. He came in for a lot of criticism for his batting and captaincy during the 2023 ODI World Cup in India.
The 29-year-old scored 320 runs in nine innings at an average of 40, but had a below par strike rate of 82.90. After Pakistan failed to reach the knockouts of the ICC tournament, Babar quit as captain.
In an interview with Cricbuzz, the right-handed batter opened up about how he deals with things when going through a low phase.
“Yes of course I talk with a lot of people. I also analyse where I am going wrong by seeing my own videos in the nets and having discussion over it. But I feel you are your biggest coach. Another person can tell you about technique but you have to understand from within where you are making a mistake and how you can rectify because you know best what mistakes you are committing as a batter,” the former Pakistan captain commented.
Asked if he would like to change anything about his batting, given that he has experienced some lean phases with the willow, Babar asserted that he is always looking to improve.
“I try to learn something new every day and apply it to my batting and execute it in the nets to see whether it is helping me or not. It can be mindset or a shot or a different kind of practice. I don't believe that I can be satisfied with what I have achieved, and all the time I try to reach a new destination and [think] how I can improve myself. You will be stranded as a batter if you are satisfied with yourself,” he remarked.
The seasoned Pakistani batter has played 52 Tests, 117 ODIs and 109 T20Is, scoring 3,898, 5,729 and 3,698 runs respectively.
Babar Azam’s performance in BPL 2024
Babar is currently representing Rangpur Riders in the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) 2024. The 29-year-old has scored 157 runs in four innings at an average of 52.33 and a strike rate of 112.95.
The experienced batter began his BPL 2024 campaign with 56* against Sylhet Strikers. In subsequent matches, he registered scores of 2 (vs Khulna Tigers), 62 (vs Durdanto Dhaka) and 37 (vs Comilla Victorians).