Pakistan coach Gary Kirsten opened up about Babar Azam’s burdens and how he needs to work to play with his natural abilities.
Pakistan’s newly appointed white-ball coach, Gary Kirsten, has identified a key area for improvement: reducing the batting pressure on star player Babar Azam.
Kirsten believes Azam carries too much weight on his shoulders. “It [dependence on Babar] is not fair on any player. He shouldn’t feel like he has to be contributing all the time to a team. I’ve been in touch with Babar. He’s done remarkably well and carries a lot of the weight of the team on his shoulders. What we will try to do as a coaching staff is to lift that a little bit and to realise he’s just one of a whole group of players and that he can free himself up to play with his natural talent,” Gary Kirsten told Talksport.
The coach aims to create an environment where Azam feels comfortable sharing batting responsibility with his teammates. Kirsten believes this approach will unlock Azam’s full potential and benefit the entire team.
The coach’s comments come after Azam’s stellar performance in the recent T20I series against Ireland. He scored a quickfire 75 runs off just 42 balls, a performance Kirsten hopes to see replicated more often.
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By encouraging a team-oriented batting approach, Kirsten hopes to take the pressure off Azam and allow other players to contribute more consistently. “Hopefully we see a lot more of that [the Ireland innings] kind of knock from him. I think if we can unlock that freedom and understand that there’s a big group of guys that can make match-winning contributions, especially in T20 cricket, that’ll take a lot of pressure off him,” Kirsten concluded.
Last Updated on May 17, 2024
