Former Pakistan cricketer Rashid Latif has expressed concern over Babar Azam’s recent performance and suggested that the pressures of captaincy may be affecting his mental well-being.
Latif believes that Babar’s struggles are more related to mental stress than technical issues, and he has recommended stepping down from the captaincy to alleviate the burden.
Latif noted that Babar was compelled to relinquish the captaincy across formats following the ICC ODI World Cup 2023, which he feels has significantly impacted his performance.
“He appears to be dealing with mental health challenges. The pressure of captaincy is affecting his game. When one’s mind isn’t clear, it affects their overall performance. He should consider stepping down from the captaincy to reduce the stress,” Latif told PakPassion.Net.
In response to Latif’s comments, Salman Butt and Dinesh Karthik have come to Babar Azam’s defense. They emphasize that Babar remains Pakistan’s top batter and has the potential to return to form.
Salman Butt highlighted that Babar’s past successes have set high expectations, making his current form more scrutinized. “Pakistan currently lacks a batter of his caliber. His earlier run-scoring feats have overshadowed the performances of other players.
Now that he is struggling and others aren’t performing either, critics are unfairly focusing on Babar,” Butt said.
Dinesh Karthik also weighed in, noting that the pressures of captaincy are affecting Babar’s game. “Babar is an exceptional player. His current struggles are partly due to the pressure of leadership.
He needs to focus on his batting and consider the impact of his captaincy,” Karthik said on Cricbuzz’s HeyCB with DK show.
