Mickey absolutely adamant that Babar can take the pressure
PakPassion.net: He’s Pakistan’s leading batsman and now the T20I captain, do you feel that there is too much pressure on Babar Azam?
Mickey Arthur: I feel that pressure is a little overrated when it comes to international cricket. Babar Azam’s shown that he is a premier batsman in all forms of the game. I believe he is in the top 5 batsmen in all forms of the game and he will be there for however long he wants to be. We saw talent and potential in him in his early days and I know that we used to get so much flak for playing Babar in Test matches where people would say that he isn’t ready. But that was my one non-negotiable condition that Babar Azam had to play every game for Pakistan.
This was because I could see how good this guy was and I knew that if we invested in him, he would reward Pakistan cricket’s faith in him down the line which, I am glad to say, is coming to fruition now. I feel that he needed that game time to develop, particularly in red-ball cricket. This is because white-ball cricket is a relatively easier game to play but it’s Test cricket where your skills are tested on tough wickets. We needed him to go through those trials and tribulations early in his career to allow him to get to where he is now. But I do think Babar can handle everything as he is a strong character. I have seen him go from a boy to a man during my three years – and Babar Azam today can handle all these pressures, I am pretty sure of that.
