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Pakistan’s new white-ball head coach, Mike Hesson, has made an eyebrow-raising proposal to star batter Babar Azam—take up wicketkeeping if he wants to regain his place in the T20 international side, according to sources.
The surprising suggestion came during Hesson’s introductory meeting with players in Lahore, shortly after Pakistan’s clean sweep against a depleted Bangladesh side last month.
According to PCB sources, Babar, along with discarded players Mohammad Rizwan and Shaheen Shah Afridi, were all invited to discuss their futures with the new coach.
In a recent PCB podcast, Hesson outlined his philosophy of favouring multi-skilled players over traditional specialists in T20 cricket. He argued that relying solely on specialist batters was now outdated, emphasising that he wanted cricketers who could contribute in more than one role – be it with the bat, the ball, or even the gloves.
Sources said Babar was stunned when Hesson put the question directly to him: “Can you keep wickets in T20Is?” A bewildered Babar replied that he had never kept wicket in his entire career.
Babar and Rizwan have faced heavy criticism for their conservative approach as openers, with strike rates hovering between 120 and 130, often consuming a large share of overs and putting pressure on the middle order.
Pakistan’s T20I performance has sharply declined since losing the Twenty20 World Cup final to England in November 2022. They have lost 27 of their last 43 T20 internationals, including defeats to Ireland, the USA, and Zimbabwe.
Sources close to Babar said he was deeply upset by his exclusion and considered several options before finding a lifeline in the form of a Big Bash League contract with the Sydney Sixers.
Those close to him insist Babar’s focus remains on scoring runs to reclaim his place in the national side without donning the wicketkeeping gloves.
Meanwhile, the PCB announced the squad for the Bangladesh T20I series, which excludes Babar Azam.
