[PICTURES/VIDEOS] Pakistan's white-ball camp kicks off with Babar Azam in the opening group

[Ball Blazer]

Twenty-two cricketers are taking part in a three-day camp, which commenced today at the LCCA Ground in Lahore. The camp will conclude on Thursday, 5 June.

The players have been divided into three groups, with the first group undergoing different sessions under Pakistan men’s team management headed by Mike Hesson. On Tuesday, Abbas Afridi, Babar Azam, Mir Hamza, Salman Mirza, Saud Shakeel, Shahid Aziz and Usman Khan took part in different skills session.

The remaining 15 players called in the camp are:

Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Ahmed Daniyal, Ali Raza, Haider Ali, Khawaja Mohammad Nafay, Khurram Shahzad, Maaz Sadaqat, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Moqim, Tayyab Tahir and Usama Mir.

 

[Cricket Warrior]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1929934617198670008

 

[Major]

See this is why i like foreign coaches. THey dont behave according to what is being said in media.

Hesson knows that Babar is Pakistanis top player and is low on form. So instead of discarding him, he has held a camp with him, this is to motivate the guy.

This is why i say coaching plays a big role in a players mentally and ability to improve.

 

[Mamoon]

Babar is one of the best players in the world, only 0 IQ delusional clowns think otherwise and believe that his career is over because a bunch of hacks hit some sixes vs Bangladesh on 65m boundaries. He will be back along with Rizwan who remains the undisputed #1 WK in Pakistan.

I have good expectations from Mike Hesson. He is a good coach with a wealth of experience and more importantly, he is a good man manager. In addition, the biggest plus is that he has been allowed to do his job without interference because toxic characters like Aqib have been sidelined.

 

[Nasty Naz]

Wish Arafat Minhas was there but overall a good list for the most part. Disappointing to see Usman Khan there and it kinda shows he is still in their plans which I am not a fan of.
Think Faisal Akram should be there too.

Nice to see players like Shahid Aziz/Nafay/Haider/Maaz all being part of their plans/pool of players they are interested in. Aziz wasn't particularly great in the PSL but had a good domestic season and I think coaches need to do everything they can to ensure they have as many pace bowling allrounders options as they can and try to maximize their potential.

 

[shamaan]

See this is why i like foreign coaches. THey dont behave according to what is being said in media.

Hesson knows that Babar is Pakistanis top player and is low on form. So instead of discarding him, he has held a camp with him, this is to motivate the guy.

This is why i say coaching plays a big role in a players mentally and ability to improve.

Are you stating that the training camp was not planned before the arrival of Hesson.

 

[shamaan]

Minhas should have been thier.

 

[Major]

Are you stating that the training camp was not planned before the arrival of Hesson.

The purpose and the way the trainning camp was tp be held depends upon the coach.

Reports came in that Hesson spent extra time with Babar, which is a good thing because currently what Babar needs is mentorship from a proper coach

Read basit alis statement.

He thinks camps are for only junior players and seniors players shouldnt be called in these camps as its an insult for them.

So this is the difference between a proper and a stupid coach

 

[Savak]

The purpose and the way the trainning camp was tp be held depends upon the coach.

Reports came in that Hesson spent extra time with Babar, which is a good thing because currently what Babar needs is mentorship from a proper coach

Read basit alis statement.

He thinks camps are for only junior players and seniors players shouldnt be called in these camps as its an insult for them.

So this is the difference between a proper and a stupid coach

I am sorry but Babar is a 30 year old individual who has been playing professional and international cricket for a good 10-12 years. If at the age of 30 he needs a coach to help him out, no one can help him. A player of Babar's stature should have the answers to his problems himself.

 

[Greenstorm]

I am sorry but Babar is a 30 year old individual who has been playing professional and international cricket for a good 10-12 years. If at the age of 30 he needs a coach to help him out, no one can help him. A player of Babar's stature should have the answers to his problems himself.

Learning never stops. Younis Khan had technical issues in 2016 England tour (he was hopping around the crease in an ugly manner) and one call from Azharuddin fixed that. Younis at that point had far more experience than Babar.

 

[Major]

I am sorry but Babar is a 30 year old individual who has been playing professional and international cricket for a good 10-12 years. If at the age of 30 he needs a coach to help him out, no one can help him. A player of Babar's stature should have the answers to his problems himself.

In sports you always need a coach. It doesnt matter how old you are.

Younis khan had a longer career, yet during the england series he called up azhruddin and than played that famous innings

 

[BouncerGuy]

Good to see hesson going the extra mile with the guys. Especially, babar. He is under a lot of pressure ,and he really needed a top guy to ease him out a bit. At this stage of your career, coaches can only help you out with some mental stability rather than fixing any huge technical faults as such.

 

[shamaan]

The purpose and the way the trainning camp was tp be held depends upon the coach.

Reports came in that Hesson spent extra time with Babar, which is a good thing because currently what Babar needs is mentorship from a proper coach

Read basit alis statement.

He thinks camps are for only junior players and seniors players shouldnt be called in these camps as its an insult for them.

So this is the difference between a proper and a stupid coach

Still the camp was done for everyone and proberly planned before hesson came.

 

[Rana]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1929851111164330195

SNGPL mindset

 

[Bewal Express]

Learning never stops. Younis Khan had technical issues in 2016 England tour (he was hopping around the crease in an ugly manner) and one call from Azharuddin fixed that. Younis at that point had far more experience than Babar.

I travelled to Worcester to see the guys train and I saw Grant Flower spend around an hour with YK working on that very thing. Fascinating to see how even top players can have bad habits creep into their game and how they tried to solve it.

 

[Bewal Express]

Babar is way too young to fade out. Although he has been poor for a while and needs runs. As I advocated and still advocate, his future lies in opening the batting. Against the opening bowlers, he remains our best Technical batsman and he showed that against SA. His problem is twofold- his concentration is poor and this leads to too many soft dismissals and he plays spinners poorly, in particular left arm spinners. Solution to the concentration problem maybe be better fitness, to me he looks a bit pudgy and needs to lose a stone. Against left arm spin, he needs to open up his stance and also be more proactive with his footwork. His footwork is wooden against spinners.

 

[cricketmania22]

Babar is way too young to fade out. Although he has been poor for a while and needs runs. As I advocated and still advocate, his future lies in opening the batting. Against the opening bowlers, he remains our best Technical batsman and he showed that against SA. His problem is twofold- his concentration is poor and this leads to too many soft dismissals and he plays spinners poorly, in particular left arm spinners. Solution to the concentration problem maybe be better fitness, to me he looks a bit pudgy and needs to lose a stone. Against left arm spin, he needs to open up his stance and also be more proactive with his footwork. His footwork is wooden against spinners.

His biggest issue right now is mental fatigue/wellness. He’s gone from Babar the King to Babar the Villain in no time and that has taken a toll on his mind. He desperately needs a mentor who can do some handholding and bring his confidence back. Plus, he should step away from all forms of captaincy and just focus on batting.

 

[emranabbas]

His biggest issue right now is mental fatigue/wellness. He’s gone from Babar the King to Babar the Villain in no time and that has taken a toll on his mind. He desperately needs a mentor who can do some handholding and bring his confidence back. Plus, he should step away from all forms of captaincy and just focus on batting.

Rather not have him back if his strike is going to in the 90's even vs teams like Bangladesh in the last 5 years

 

[TeymurBlake]

I kind of get this feeling that the Pakistan managements first priority of Hesson was for him to include and improve Rizwan & Babar.

The problem is, no matter who the coach is, no matter what kind of tips Hesson & co can give. The lack of improvements in both players, is down to both individual players lack of evolution.

You can make as many camps as you want, until you realise the two need to look at themselves only then you will realise where there decline has come from.

However Babar & Rizwan still could find a place in the Test team but that’s about it.

 

[cricketmania22]

Rather not have him back if his strike is going to in the 90's even vs teams like Bangladesh in the last 5 years

I’m talking about his overall career. He’s struggling even in ODIs and Tests.

 

[Kianig89]

Good decision, Babar is too good of a player to be discarded by Pakistan.

 

[Bewal Express]

His biggest issue right now is mental fatigue/wellness. He’s gone from Babar the King to Babar the Villain in no time and that has taken a toll on his mind. He desperately needs a mentor who can do some handholding and bring his confidence back. Plus, he should step away from all forms of captaincy and just focus on batting.

Needs to lose weight, and work on playing spin. If he opens, he is already in when the spinners come on. Quite simply- Babar has taken his eye of the ball

 

[shamaan]

Babar is way too young to fade out. Although he has been poor for a while and needs runs. As I advocated and still advocate, his future lies in opening the batting. Against the opening bowlers, he remains our best Technical batsman and he showed that against SA. His problem is twofold- his concentration is poor and this leads to too many soft dismissals and he plays spinners poorly, in particular left arm spinners. Solution to the concentration problem maybe be better fitness, to me he looks a bit pudgy and needs to lose a stone. Against left arm spin, he needs to open up his stance and also be more proactive with his footwork. His footwork is wooden against spinners.

He doesn't have confidence in his sweep shot.

 

[Greenstorm]

Babar is way too young to fade out. Although he has been poor for a while and needs runs. As I advocated and still advocate, his future lies in opening the batting. Against the opening bowlers, he remains our best Technical batsman and he showed that against SA. His problem is twofold- his concentration is poor and this leads to too many soft dismissals and he plays spinners poorly, in particular left arm spinners. Solution to the concentration problem maybe be better fitness, to me he looks a bit pudgy and needs to lose a stone. Against left arm spin, he needs to open up his stance and also be more proactive with his footwork. His footwork is wooden against spinners.

Hesson pointed out that Babar has a very good inside out shot against left arm spinners but he didn't employ that in CT because of his defensive mindset.

I think Babar will do well under Hesson in ODIs. He will be crucial in 27WC considering he is one of our best players of backfoot. He should be kept away from T20Is though.

 

[Bewal Express]

Hesson pointed out that Babar has a very good inside out shot against left arm spinners but he didn't employ that in CT because of his defensive mindset.

I think Babar will do well under Hesson in ODIs. He will be crucial in 27WC considering he is one of our best players of backfoot. He should be kept away from T20Is though.

We will see. If Hesson can get Babar firing then he has been worth hiring. I think some of the positive PR in Babars good period went to his head and he ended up being a hostage to his own statistics. This resulted in him going more and more into his shell.

 

[kingusama92]

Babar and Rizwan are still talented players.

I would still want to work with them as a coach and Hesson is right to do so. Babar still has a key role in the ODI team and I've always felt it's more about building a unit around him as the main accumulator. Previous ODI XIs have failed in doing so and just crammed the team with too many of the same batsmen.

Hesson is an intelligent coach and will make much better use of Babar.

I think this will help Babar's psychological hurdles too that he's going through right now. Almost like a reset.

 

[RidiculousMan]

I kind of get this feeling that the Pakistan managements first priority of Hesson was for him to include and improve Rizwan & Babar.

The problem is, no matter who the coach is, no matter what kind of tips Hesson & co can give. The lack of improvements in both players, is down to both individual players lack of evolution.

You can make as many camps as you want, until you realise the two need to look at themselves only then you will realise where there decline has come from.

However Babar & Rizwan still could find a place in the Test team but that’s about it.

What I have seen so far. Babar has been too rigid mentally in his career to change his mindset completely.

 

[Mamoon]

First step is to block the criticism out. There are too many idiots with a platform these days. Let Babar focus on his game regardless of what the outside world says and he will do well.

Players need to realize that fans hold zero power, it is just an illusion. No fan will ever stop watching the game just because they are not having their way.

People who don’t want Babar and Rizwan to be in the team will still watch when they are back in the team.

PCB simply doesn’t need to care at all what the critical fans and section of the media think.

 

[cricketmania22]

Babar and Rizwan are still talented players.

I would still want to work with them as a coach and Hesson is right to do so. Babar still has a key role in the ODI team and I've always felt it's more about building a unit around him as the main accumulator. Previous ODI XIs have failed in doing so and just crammed the team with too many of the same batsmen.

Hesson is an intelligent coach and will make much better use of Babar.

I think this will help Babar's psychological hurdles too that he's going through right now. Almost like a reset.

One has to be an idiot to think that Pakistani cricket team has no place for Babar and/or Rizwan in longer formats. Hesson is too smart to not see this.

 

[cricketmania22]

First step is to block the criticism out. There are too many idiots with a platform these days. Let Babar focus on his game regardless of what the outside world says and he will do well.

Players need to realize that fans hold zero power, it is just an illusion. No fan will ever stop watching the game just because they are not having their way.

People who don’t want Babar and Rizwan to be in the team will still watch when they are back in the team.

PCB simply doesn’t need to care at all what the critical fans and section of the media think.

And if Pakistan wins Babar and Rizwan in the team they won’t stop crying because they don’t care about Pakistan as long as Babar and Rizwan are not in the team. But we all know they are clowns with no intellectual capacity.

 

[Greenstorm]

We will see. If Hesson can get Babar firing then he has been worth hiring. I think some of the positive PR in Babars good period went to his head and he ended up being a hostage to his own statistics. This resulted in him going more and more into his shell.

Babar has psychological issues. He is still under the shadow of his father and never became his own man.

He needs a father figure around him to play freely. Mickey Arthur served that role during initial part of his career and later Rameez/Saqlain did it. Don't know if Hesson will be able to become that for him.

 

[shaz619]

In sports you always need a coach. It doesnt matter how old you are.

Younis khan had a longer career, yet during the england series he called up azhruddin and than played that famous innings

If we’re taking that YK interview literally, perhaps Babar should end his late night calls with Misbah and give Azhruddin a ring instead

 

[BouncerGuy]

Babar might not be fit enough for t20s now but he is still one of the main guys in longer format. you cannot ignore him there.
Babar just needs a mental relief and I think he will be fine. He has started to react to the outside noise and things have gone even more bad for him.

He needs to listen to some good advice and ignore the loudmouths and focus on his batting.

 

[BouncerGuy]

The third and final day of the national cricketers' training session

Eight players participated in the morning session.

The players included Mohammad Rizwan, Naseem Shah, Aamer Jamal, Tayyab Tahir, Sufiyan Muqeem, Mohammad Nawaz, Ali Raza, and Maaz Siddique.

In the afternoon session, the training began at the LCCA Ground.

Head coach Mike Hesson, along with the bowling, batting, and fielding coaches, supervised the session.

 

[shaz619]

I wonder if Babar is enjoying this camp without his favourite team bonding exercise

 

[mominsaigol]

See this is tricky. On one hand I want the world to progress without these 2.

On the other hand, I have to admit that Babar is still > Kamran Ghulam in odi as a no 3 batsmen.

KG is more free flow but that's about it. Babar is still a better odi batsmen. Main issue is test,

Babar is a crap test player and KG should defo replace him in test cricket.

When it comes to rizwan its more tricky in test cricket. In test he is clearly the best wk choice atm and a much better batter then then the likes of hasebullah.

But in odi he has no place in the side. He's a horrible odi batsmen.

In t20 both deserve the boot. End of.

 

[pakistani pride]

Babar is way too young to fade out. Although he has been poor for a while and needs runs. As I advocated and still advocate, his future lies in opening the batting. Against the opening bowlers, he remains our best Technical batsman and he showed that against SA. His problem is twofold- his concentration is poor and this leads to too many soft dismissals and he plays spinners poorly, in particular left arm spinners. Solution to the concentration problem maybe be better fitness, to me he looks a bit pudgy and needs to lose a stone. Against left arm spin, he needs to open up his stance and also be more proactive with his footwork. His footwork is wooden against spinners.

You said it:

he looks a bit pudgy

How can a pro like him be a bit ''pudgy'' it shows his lack of mindset and how lazy he is. Being 30 plus it can go downhill very quick for him. Though I never understood if there ever was a ''high'' for him.

 

[Rana]

You said it:

he looks a bit pudgy

How can a pro like him be a bit ''pudgy'' it shows his lack of mindset and how lazy he is. Being 30 plus it can go downhill very quick for him. Though I never understood if there ever was a ''high'' for him.

Too much Barbecue

 

[Rana]

Babar is way too young to fade out

He needs the Australian system behind him…

 

[Bewal Express]

He needs the Australian system behind him…

Dont you think It would helped Asif Ali to average more than 10 and to score more than 30 in a whole year

 

[Rana]

Dont you think It would helped Asif Ali to average more than 10 and to score more than 30 in a whole year

Asif is doing something right if his 30 runs are knocking out Babar Azam from the PSL, and helping his side lift the trophy

 

[Bewal Express]

Asif is doing something right if his 30 runs are knocking out Babar Azam from the PSL, and helping his side lift the trophy

Lots hope he keeps scoring the 30 in a season

 

[The Bald Eagle]

Warning: Guys refrain from personal remarks

 

[Aami]

Babar is one of the best players in the world, only 0 IQ delusional clowns think otherwise and believe that his career is over because a bunch of hacks hit some sixes vs Bangladesh on 65m boundaries. He will be back along with Rizwan who remains the undisputed #1 WK in Pakistan.

I have good expectations from Mike Hesson. He is a good coach with a wealth of experience and more importantly, he is a good man manager. In addition, the biggest plus is that he has been allowed to do his job without interference because toxic characters like Aqib have been sidelined.

I think the duo may find a spot in Odis but I think the T20 ship has sailed for them.
Their brand of cricket, when we needed reliable openers in T20s, was successful with T20 semi in 2021 and the final in 22, but since then their approach hasn't worked frankly.

 

[Mamoon]

I think the duo may find a spot in Odis but I think the T20 ship has sailed for them.
Their brand of cricket, when we needed reliable openers in T20s, was successful with T20 semi in 2021 and the final in 22, but since then their approach hasn't worked frankly.

Things change very quickly in Pakistan cricket. These new boys are the flavor of the month these days, but Pakistan have a lot of tough T20Is coming up in the next 12 months and will lost most of the matches which will pave the way for Babar and Rizwan to return.

 

[cricketmania22]

Things change very quickly in Pakistan cricket. These new boys are the flavor of the month these days, but Pakistan have a lot of tough T20Is coming up in the next 12 months and will lost most of the matches which will pave the way for Babar and Rizwan to return.

In present state, form and mind, Babar and Rizwan bring nothing to the table. Unfortunately they have become liabilities in T20Is. They have regressed quite a bit in this format and this regression is putting pressure on other players. I don’t see how our team can accommodate both of them in near future.

 

[RidiculousMan]

Things change very quickly in Pakistan cricket. These new boys are the flavor of the month these days, but Pakistan have a lot of tough T20Is coming up in the next 12 months and will lost most of the matches which will pave the way for Babar and Rizwan to return.

That will be a disastrous move. Detrimental to Pakistan's T20I Cricket. Which already got behind world Cricket thanks to the duo's efforts in the last few years in the format.

Even if the current set of youngsters (e.g. Saim, Harris and Hassan) fail to deliver in T20Is. The solution is still to give chances to other new guys (e.g. Maaz, Yasir, Nafay, Naeem). Not to bring the old template and pieces back.

 

[cricketmania22]

I don’t see Harris succeeding at this level so he will eventually be replaced. The issue is who replaces him? Pakistan has to find a good wicketkeeper bat.

 

[BunnyRabbit]

Hesson is his own man. And he gives each player a role, if that player doesn't do good enough in that role, he will bring in someone else. In 2013, he had Tom Latham and Ronchi come into the side with Latham as an opener and Ronchi at no.7 in LOIs. Latham scored an 80 while Ronchi 40 odd. Yet in the next series he decided to keep Ronchi in the side and dropped Latham because Ronchi offered something special, quicker runs in the last overs that others weren't capable of.