KARACHI: Pakistan’s former captain Ramiz Raja has praised batter Babar Azam for showing patience and “restraint” despite allegedly facing intense criticism in recent years over his failure to live up to expectations.
Babar broke a streak of 807 days and 83 international innings without a century last week when he scored a hundred against Sri Lanka in the ODI series in Rawalpindi.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ramiz said Babar recently expressed his frustration during a meeting.
“I met him recently in a café and he expressed his frustration at the way he had to face criticism, personal comments over his place in the team and his performances,” Ramiz said.
The former chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said he had just one message for Babar: “Just continue to do what you have done, be patient and show restraint and don’t react to outside noises. Because as a player your only job is to perform on the field.”
“I was very happy to see him back among the runs with his century against Sri Lanka,” he said.
Ramiz added that he admired the way Babar had preferred not to respond to the criticism directed at him on any forum.
Ramiz was PCB chairman when Babar was made captain in all three formats in 2021, and his liking for the batter is well documented.
He said Babar did not need to worry about strike rates since he was a stylish player in Tests and ODIs. “He has all the shots and he is a treat to watch even when he defends. He shouldn’t be worried about strike rates; he just needs to bat longer.”