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Former Pakistan spinner Saeed Ajmal has criticised the team management for what he described as the mishandling of star batter Babar Azam, saying the country’s best players deserve confidence and backing.
Speaking on PakPassion, Ajmal stressed that the primary job of coaches is to instil belief in players, not burden them with unnecessary blame.
“When a team moves forward, the role of the coaches is solely to instil confidence in the players. It’s not their responsibility to teach everything,” Ajmal said.
“But if a player is struggling, the coach should help him overcome it, not break his confidence.”
He took aim at the treatment of Babar Azam, who was dropped from the T20I side in December 2024 before being recalled recently for the home series against South Africa.
“Babar Azam was let down to such an extent that people openly said he wasn’t the kind of player needed in T20Is. If you don’t value your players, how can they learn from you?” he questioned.
Saeed Ajmal further highlighted the hypocrisy in how Babar’s T20I record is often dismissed despite being among Pakistan’s most consistent performers.
“Have you seen any of our players play T20 cricket differently? Has anyone’s strike rate consistently exceeded Babar’s? He’s our world-class player, yet he was criticised so publicly that he couldn’t even handle the pressure,” he remarked.
The former off-spinner also took issue with Pakistan’s inconsistent selection policy, suggesting that bringing Babar back was a forced decision after others failed to deliver.
“This decision was taken out of compulsion, when the new players didn’t perform, they went back to the same ones who could at least do something,” he said.
“First, you remove them, then take them back out of necessity. This is the state of affairs.”
Addressing the issue of workload and leadership, Ajmal questioned the logic behind resting an in-form player.
“You’ve put your player under unnecessary pressure,” he added. “First, you removed him from captaincy, and then you gave him rest. If someone is performing, why would you rest him?”
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