Former Pakistan captain Ramiz Raja shared an interesting anecdote about a candid conversation he once had with Babar Azam at a cafe, during a phase when the star batter was struggling to find form. Babar had been facing a slump in the past couple of years, but he worked his way out of it and rediscovered his rhythm in the recently concluded ODI series against Sri Lanka.
Babar finally ended a long wait of more than two years — spanning 83 international innings — by bringing up a much-needed century against Sri Lanka in the Rawalpindi ODI last week, putting an emphatic full stop to his extended lean patch.
Raja, who also headed Pakistan Cricket Board in the past, opened up about a candid conversation with Babar at a cafe where the star batter shared how deeply the relentless criticism and personal remarks about his form and place in the team had affected him.
“I met him recently in a cafe, and he expressed his frustration over the criticism and personal comments regarding his place in the team and his performances," Ramiz said on his YouTube Channel.
The former PCB chairman shared how he advised the star batter to block out the external noise and concentrate solely on his game, rather than letting criticism from outside weigh him down.
Babar was the joint-highest run-getter in the ODI series against Sri Lanka, where he scored 165 runs in three matches, including a century in the second match as Pakistan went on to complete a 3-0 whitewash.
“Don’t react to outside noises”: Raja's advice to Babar
Ramiz noted that he respected Babar’s decision to stay silent despite the waves of criticism coming his way across different platforms. Having been the PCB chairman when Babar was appointed captain in all formats in 2021, Ramiz’s admiration for him has long been known. He added that Babar shouldn’t get bogged down by debates around strike rate, emphasising that his natural class in Tests and ODIs speaks for itself.
"Just continue to do what you have done, be patient, show restraint and don’t react to outside noises. Because as a player your only job is to perform on the field," he added.