'He was really down because of the way...': Ex-Pakistan coach slams former players, social media pundits' treatment of Babar Azam

Former Pakistan coach Azhar Mahmood has criticised former players and social media pundits for their treatment of current Test captain Babar Azam. Mahmood admits that Babar has a lot to improve but labelled him as the only star Pakistan have. He recalled how Babar was unhappy when he was dropped from the Test squad after home series against England.

"He (Babar) is very shy and has been through a lot. I spent a lot of time with him, around five months, when he was out of the team after the England series. He was really down because of the way he was being treated in Pakistan by former players and social media pundits. We (Pakistan) have only one superstar, and we are constantly pulling him down," Mahmood said on Sky Sports.

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The former Pakistan all-rounder believes that Babar thrives as a batter when he gets the captaincy role. He says that the batter often goes into a shell if he does not get the respect he deserves.

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Under Babar, Pakistan recently broke their losing streak in away Tests. They defeat West Indies to level the series 1-1 and rise from the bottom of the World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 standings.

Since getting reinstated as Test captain, Babar has registered scores of 23, 58 not out, 88 and 24 not out. He averaged 96.50 on the Caribbean tour.

Update on Babar and Masood’s injuries

However, there are cloud of uncertainties around Babar’s participation in the Test series opener against England at Headingley, Leeds. The 31-year-old was retired hurt when he was batting on five runs in Pakistan's warm-up game against PCC Select. He did not take any part in the game as a precautionary measure.

On August 17, pacer Mohammad Abbas revealed Babar did some batting practice but he would play only if the medical team deems it fit. Not just Babar, but Pakistan’s Shan Masood is nursing a finger injury he suffered on West Indies tour. Masood's participation is subjected to medical team's clearance as well.

Who will captain Pakistan in 1st Test vs England?

If both Babar and Masood are unfit for the first Test, Salman Agha is likely to lead. In the practice game as well, Agha had led Pakistan in Babar’s absence. But, he is yet to make his Test captaincy debut. If he does, he will be the third captain to lead Pakistan in Tests this year.