Former Pakistan cricketer Mohammad Yousuf has urged Babar Azam to take a break from domestic red-ball cricket and seek expert coaching in England or Australia to fix his technical problems.
Babar’s technical flaws and long run of poor form drew attention after an underwhelming showing in the recently concluded home ODI tri-series involving England and Sri Lanka. He scored only 118 runs in five matches, at an average of 23.60. On the social media platform X, Yousuf said he felt terrible for the 32-year-old, adding that trying to overcome the slump in the next domestic series, the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, would only add to the batter’s woes and career setbacks.
Yousuf urges PCB to send Babar abroad
Yousuf said he would recommend that the Pakistan Cricket Board send Babar to a renowned overseas academy. “Instead of suffering mental fatigue in local matches” is how he framed the idea, and he argued that working with top technical coaches in tough conditions such as Australia or England could help Babar rectify his game.
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Yousuf insisted that Babar is still Pakistan’s best batsman and retains the natural talent to face international bowling line-ups. He said the batter needs focused high-performance coaching and targeted technical changes to find his scoring touch again.
Yousuf repeats call for specialist coaching abroad
In a separate post on X dated November 1, 2026, Yousuf wrote that Babar should not play first-class cricket until he fixed his technical issues through specialised coaching. He said struggling in domestic cricket could further harm the batter’s confidence and career.
Yousuf said he had raised the same point about Babar a few years earlier, when he was also struggling, and that nobody had listened at the time. He added that Babar could return to his best with the right guidance and some effort.
