[EXCLUSIVE] "If you take Babar away, you don't have anything in Pakistan": Mohammad Haroon

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As Pakistan's first ECB Level 4 Qualified Coach and the head coach of Qatar, Mohammad Haroon has a wealth of knowledge as well as tremendous insights into the game.

In our latest PakPassion Exclusive Interview, Saj Sadiq sat down with Haroon to explore the rising popularity of cricket in Qatar and delved into why he hasn't yet worked with the PCB. Haroon also shared his thoughts on whether hiring Gary Kirsten and Jason Gillespie is the right move for Pakistan cricket.

Additionally, Haroon shed light on Babar Azam's captaincy credentials and offered an insider's perspective on the unpredictable nature of Pakistan cricket.

The topics he discussed in this interview include:

Standard of Cricket in Qatar: The rising popularity of cricket in Qatar, how the standard of the game has improved over the years, development programs and the growing interest in cricket among the youth in Qatar.

Why Has He Never Worked for the PCB?: Reflections on the opportunities and challenges of working with the PCB and his thoughts on what it would take for him to be involved with Pakistan cricket.

On the Concept of a Master Coach: The concept of a Master Coach, the importance of experience, continuous learning, and the ability to mentor other coaches, and how this concept can be beneficial for developing cricketing talent.

On the Coaching System in Pakistan: An in-depth analysis of the coaching system in Pakistan, the strengths and weaknesses of the current setup and possible areas for improvement to nurture and develop talent more effectively.

On the Recruitment of Gary Kirsten and Jason Gillespie: Weighed in on the pros and cons of bringing in foreign expertise such as Gary Kirsten and Jason Gillespie and how it could impact the national team.

His Thoughts on the Pakistan Team: Offering an insider's perspective, the unpredictable nature of Pakistan cricket, reflected on the current team's performance, the leadership of captain Babar Azam, and the potential for future success.

Watch full interview here:

 
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Babar has been one of the worst ever Captain to represent Pak cricket team, he lacks vision and makes basis mistakes. This all after years and years of experience. As a player he is also very limited and had failed countless times on the big stage. I always recall his glaring weakness against (leg) spin. From 2019 WC to 2023 WC Kuldeep made him look like an amateur and in between he bottled a WC final vs Rashid.

No, Pak cricket will be much better without Babar.
 
Sad to see people hyping up Babar, he is a decent player at best and a really really poor captain.

If it were up to me, he would be back to playing domestic cricket, regaining his form and fitness. His form has been really poor lately, a break will do him good.

Also, just to be clear, he is not world class like Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma at all. And his current fitness is a joke.
 
You must have audacity to speak facts and Babar and his fans should accept constructive criticism positively. Babar is playing nonstop cricket in all format since last 6-7 years and he has literally zero contribution since 2021. He has been miserable as a captain and he has shown zero improvement as a player. He is very limited as a batsman and what hurts most is he is not trying to improve his game. You can't blame PCB for everything, even the cricket boards of SA, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, WI have issues but at least their players are trying their best instead of surviving on a hype and fanbase.
 
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Babar has been one of the worst ever Captain to represent Pak cricket team, he lacks vision and makes basis mistakes. This all after years and years of experience. As a player he is also very limited and had failed countless times on the big stage. I always recall his glaring weakness against (leg) spin. From 2019 WC to 2023 WC Kuldeep made him look like an amateur and in between he bottled a WC final vs Rashid.

No, Pak cricket will be much better without Babar.

Agreed, just want to add his glaring weakness against,

1. Off-spin bowling
2. Left arm spin
3. Inswing (medium and fast pace)
 
Agreed, just want to add his glaring weakness against,

1. Off-spin bowling
2. Left arm spin
3. Inswing (medium and fast pace)
4. biggest choker in high pressure games
5. No signs of improvement, any professional enhances his skills with experience but for Babar it's opposite
6. Inflexible when it comes to his batting position as he doesn't want to come out from his comfort zone. If he is not removed, he can happily play for 20 more years at opening spot in T20s without significant contribution in powerplay
7. Still desperate for captaincy despite being one of the worst captain across all formats. No leadership skills, poor tactician, always lives in denial
 
We put all are hopes on Babar to carry the line up. Been that way for years.

When you have a batting line up full of good players, it relieves pressure and allows us to more accurately compare Babar. It’s much harder to bat in a Pak line up than a stronger batting unit. Even our SR problems, a big factor is just we don’t have enough good batsmen. There is too much importance on a guy like Babar staying in as you can not trust the rest. It’s much easier to bat more freely when you know there are quality batsmen to come down below them.

I think we are desperate for guys like Abdullah and saud shakeel to step up and produce a similar output to Babar. Not only will that make our batting line up stronger and more consistent, but alleviate pressure and highlight Babar’s flaws (and give him more freedom to work on them).

We’d love Babar to bat like a Butler, Gill etc but they are different teams and we don’t have access to those players. Babar’s competition is other Pakistanis who right now aren’t challenging him and that needs to change.
 
Babar was never a decent player. Many people hoped he would be as good as Virat Kohli even before he started playing international cricket. Most began mistaking their imagination for reality, leading to all the hype and no substance.
 
What interests me is how people with no qualifications at all land important jobs within the PCB.

More examples of nepotism and favouritism.
 
He's bang average.

If PCB wasted less money on the PR for this associate Kohli they might achieve some success
 
Babar nahi toh Pakistan cricket khatam.

If Babar were not there, then we would most probably lose against Ethiopia, Timbuktu, and Iceland. Oh wait, just as we are currently losing against associate nations.
 
What interests me is how people with no qualifications at all land important jobs within the PCB.

More examples of nepotism and favouritism.

WHO you know vs WHAT you know.
 
IMO, Babar needs to improve (who doesn’t) but Babar is not the biggest problem. It is the PCB who has mollycoddled Babar for so long without any accountability. If a child is rotten. Blame the parent first, not the child.
 
One thing is established by now; BABAR is not a Captaincy Material. Sometimes, a good player is not always a good captain. I think he should just give up on his own and focus on getting back into rhythm in his batting.
 
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One thing is established by now; BABAR is not a Captaincy Material. Sometimes, a good player is not always a good captain. I think he should just give up on his own and focus on getting back into rhythm in his batting.
Babar is not a good player. Even khurram manzoor bats with more intent and got more impact
 
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One thing is established by now; BABAR is not a Captaincy Material. Sometimes, a good player is not always a good captain. I think he should just give up on his own and focus on getting back into rhythm in his batting.
LOL Babar the player is bang average, nothing special.
 
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LOL Babar the player is bang average, nothing special.
He is a good player. Probably the best player in current Pakistani line-up. T20 yeah, not so much but other formats, he is... It is the captaincy that is hurting him.
 
He is a good player. Probably the best player in current Pakistani line-up. T20 yeah, not so much but other formats, he is... It is the captaincy that is hurting him.

He has had too many chances to perform, always fails on the big stage (barring a couple of occassions)..

I don't agree that he is a good player... An average player at best..
 
He has had too many chances to perform, always fails on the big stage (barring a couple of occassions)..

I don't agree that he is a good player... An average player at best..
He is still the best player in Pakistan. Not saying the best in Asia even but yep, in Pakistan, he is probably the best all-format player. It is just the captaincy ego that is killing him.
 
The problem we have in Pakistan cricket is that if a batter is good in one or two formats we have to play him in the other format(s) too which is ridiculous.

I would play Babar in ODIs and Tests only at the moment.
 
I think it is time that we take out babar azam and look at the bigger picture. Babar should immediately be relieved of Captaincy and might as well drop him from the T20 side as well.

Bold steps are required now.
 
Still can't get over this statement. May be Muhammad Haroon is referring to old version of Babar
 
It is quite right though.
I really want to see how Pak performs in Australia if Babar isnt available.
 
It is quite right though.
I really want to see how Pak performs in Australia if Babar isnt available.
His presence doesn't matter and won't change the outcome either way. Aus at full strength has never lost to Bobby and his unit, only their c side In 2019.

They are not India who rolled over 2x in humilating fashion with records that cam never beaten, 180 loss in a final and 10 wicket thrashing in 2021

Although aus bowlers aren't at full strength in this series due to the BGT trophy, however in a tournament it won't happen.
 
His presence doesn't matter and won't change the outcome either way. Aus at full strength has never lost to Bobby and his unit, only their c side In 2019.

They are not India who rolled over 2x in humilating fashion with records that cam never beaten, 180 loss in a final and 10 wicket thrashing in 2021

Although aus bowlers aren't at full strength in this series due to the BGT trophy, however in a tournament it won't happen.
His presence does matter, he is your best batsman. Even before he came you team was regularly mauled by Aus.

You will again get mauled but if Babar is not there, the beating will be even more ruthless. I dont think Pak will even be able to compete without Babar, hopefully Rizwan also takes a rest that will show your team their real standing in world cricket.

All your domestic Champions cup player wont be able to stand against Aussie bowling apart from the above 2, maybe Fakhar will do well in one match, but that is it.
 
His presence does matter, he is your best batsman. Even before he came you team was regularly mauled by Aus.

You will again get mauled but if Babar is not there, the beating will be even more ruthless. I dont think Pak will even be able to compete without Babar, hopefully Rizwan also takes a rest that will show your team their real standing in world cricket.
What do you mean by your? Babar has nothing to do with me.

Him.being their doesn't change the outcome, but yes he is the 2nd best batter of Pakistan only behind an insong fakhar. It's either fakhar or bust. Story of pakistan
 
What do you mean by your? Babar has nothing to do with me.

Him.being their doesn't change the outcome, but yes he is the 2nd best batter of Pakistan only behind an insong fakhar. It's either fakhar or bust. Story of pakistan
Insong Fakhar is not another batsman, its the same inconsistent player. You dont get to only count his 'inform' innings.
Babar is still your best bat, there are three players in your team who can stand tall againt big teams Fakhar, Babar and Rizwan.
 
Insong Fakhar is not another batsman, its the same inconsistent player. You dont get to only count his 'inform' innings.
Babar is still your best bat, there are three players in your team who can stand tall againt big teams Fakhar, Babar and Rizwan.
Fakhar is a different type of batter. He's inconsistent yes but he's the switch on or switch off type.

Ijaz was the same, Laxman in Odi , inrepeat Odi was also the same, would occasionally switch on and play clutch
 
Babar se pehle bhi Pakistan cricket tha aur Babar ke baad bhi Pakistan cricket rahega
:jm
 
Babar se pehle bhi Pakistan cricket tha aur Babar ke baad bhi Pakistan cricket rahega
:jm
Not really Baba & Rizwan’s 30/40 runs are what is separating Uganda level type of cricket.

Just seen the run down odi tournament absolute zero talent.. no ones going to be interested in watching Abbas Afridi abdulla shafiq imam cricket will die a horrible death soon in pak.

Forget about beating the top 3 last win was on 2021 in any format
 
Not really Baba & Rizwan’s 30/40 runs are what is separating Uganda level type of cricket.

Just seen the run down odi tournament absolute zero talent.. no ones going to be interested in watching Abbas Afridi abdulla shafiq imam cricket will die a horrible death soon in pak.

Forget about beating the top 3 last win was on 2021 in any format
@Namoona.

Do you agree with this take?
 
Not really Baba & Rizwan’s 30/40 runs are what is separating Uganda level type of cricket.

Just seen the run down odi tournament absolute zero talent.. no ones going to be interested in watching Abbas Afridi abdulla shafiq imam cricket will die a horrible death soon in pak.

Forget about beating the top 3 last win was on 2021 in any format
Not really
Not really Baba & Rizwan’s 30/40 runs are what is separating Uganda level type of cricket.

Just seen the run down odi tournament absolute zero talent.. no ones going to be interested in watching Abbas Afridi abdulla shafiq imam cricket will die a horrible death soon in pak.

Forget about beating the top 3 last win was on 2021 in any format
What's the difference between having Babar and losing to USA and not having Babar and losing to USA....it's still losing.. Or AFG or BD...IIRC Babar saab main khela thaa and Uganda type result hi tha

Babar nai Pakistan cricket ko Barbad kaa diya hai, aur kuch sochna bhi faltu aur bekkar hai


PCT has gone from snatching victory from jaws of defeat to losing games that would even make Everton blush
 
Not really

What's the difference between having Babar and losing to USA and not having Babar and losing to USA....it's still losing.. Or AFG or BD...IIRC Babar saab main khela thaa and Uganda type result hi tha

Babar nai Pakistan cricket ko Barbad kaa diya hai, aur kuch sochna bhi faltu aur bekkar hai


PCT has gone from snatching victory from jaws of defeat to losing games that would even make Everton blush
The difference is with there runs Pak are losing in the 19th over. Otherwise they will get pumped by USA uganda Zimb Ireland with plenty to spare.
 
The difference is with there runs Pak are losing in the 19th over. Otherwise they will get pumped by USA uganda Zimb Ireland with plenty to spare.
NRRs not going to help if on the points table it's still a 0....
 
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