Following a disappointing 8-wicket loss to South Africa in the Rawalpindi Test, Pakistan’s red-ball head coach, Azhar Mahmood, has delivered a frank assessment of his team, including some direct advice for star batsman Babar Azam.
In a post-match press conference, Mahmood stated that Babar Azam has limited first-class experience and advised him to play more domestic cricket to better handle the intense pressure of the Test format.
The former all-rounder emphasized that this issue isn’t unique to Babar. “If you look at our players, like Babar Azam or Abdullah Shafique, both haven’t played much first-class cricket,” Mahmood said.
He argued that the art of absorbing pressure can only be learned by playing domestic cricket regularly. “When you play domestic cricket, you learn how to handle pressure,” he explained. “Then, when you come to international cricket, you perform better. Even if you fail, you know how to make a comeback. I think domestic cricket is the best solution.”
Mahmood also added that Pakistan must learn to bat better against spinners and that the country needs to prepare more spin-friendly pitches at the domestic level to help players improve.
