Key points
- Babar’s strike rate under scrutiny
- T20 evolution demands higher scoring tempo
- Sri Lanka conditions may suit anchor role
ISLAMABAD: Former South Africa captain Faf du Plessis has urged open and honest dialogue between Pakistan’s Babar Azam and head coach Mike Hesson, saying clear communication is essential to help the former skipper rediscover his edge in modern T20 cricket.
The remarks follow Hesson’s observation, made before Pakistan’s rain-hit fixture against New Zealand, that Babar’s powerplay strike rate at the recent T20 World Cup had dipped below a run a ball. Hesson indicated that Babar’s most effective role may now be “through the middle” of the innings.
Speaking on a local sports programme, du Plessis labelled Babar a “world-class player” but conceded that the format’s rapid evolution has left him lagging in terms of scoring speed.
“I think all great players evolve their careers at different points,” he said. “We know Babar as one of the world’s best players for a very long time. I think the game of T20 cricket has moved so fast forward into strike rates that he’s found himself a little bit behind in terms of strike rates.
Tricky surfaces
“If you’re Mike Hesson, you’re trying to find the best way to introduce him into the game. On tricky surfaces, there is a role for someone to play in the 120-130 strike rate. Hesson would have thought, ‘how can I get the best out of Babar Azam?’ The game has moved too far forward to be at 120-130. Now, you need to be 160 to 190 to 200-plus for you to maximise that first six.”
However, du Plessis noted that Sri Lanka’s slower pitches, where Pakistan have played their World Cup matches, may still suit Babar’s anchoring style.
“At this venue and in the specific conditions where there’s going to be a lot of spin, there can be a lot of value from someone like him in the middle and making sure that he anchors the innings.”
Babar’s stature in Pakistan cricket means his performances attract intense scrutiny. He was briefly dropped during the Asia Cup, and Hesson had earlier indicated that improvements against spin and in overall strike rate — including during a Big Bash League stint — were necessary for a recall. Despite a modest BBL run, Babar returned to the squad before the tournament concluded and has kept his place.
Frank conversations
Du Plessis emphasised that progress hinges on frank conversations.
“It starts with honesty,” du Plessis said. “That’s the groundwork of any conversation that happens. Once you’re honest in your conversation [as a coach] then everything flows from that, whereas if you are hopping around and not telling the truth as a coach or a captain, it leads to holes that a player can jump onto. So the nature of the conversation is always really important.
“For a coach, it’s like, ‘listen, these are the numbers. The numbers are suggesting this. This is where the game is at the moment. In order for us to be successful as a team at this World Cup or this tournament, these are the areas that we want to be the best in. Or the areas where we feel we’re perhaps a little bit weak so we have to address that.’
“Once the stats are in front of a player, it’s pretty difficult to go ‘I’m not agreeing with you.’ Then as a player, you’ve got two choices. Either you put up a massive fight and you throw your toys or you go, ‘Okay, I need to get better, I need to improve and this is an area in my game that I can improve.'”
The 31-year-old Babar faces the challenge of adapting after a distinguished career that includes 144 T20Is and 86 matches as Pakistan’s T20 captain. Du Plessis reflected on his own journey, warning how easy it is to resist change.
Strike rate
“The question that you ask yourself is, ‘it’s worked for me up until now, so why must I change?’ That’s the guy on one shoulder. But what I always looked at was where I could get better? And one of the obvious things that was standing out from a stats perspective was that in my 15 first balls against spin, my strike rate was 120, and against seam it was 180. So one guy on your shoulder would go, ‘but that’s good. You’re striking at 140 [overall]? Why would you want to change?’ But [the other guy] would go, ‘you can do better, you can work on this.’
“The challenge with that is what you then go through is uncomfortable. Because now you’re doing something for the first time which you’ve never done in your entire career. I had to do that against spin. But it’s very easy in the nets because there’s no consequence. I went to the Hundred and I tried to do replicate what I did in the nets, and I failed. And the guy on my shoulder said, ‘why are you doing this, you’re successful.’ But the other guy goes ‘stick with it.’ Growth happens when you’re uncomfortable.”
Du Plessis, who eventually benefitted from persisting with changes in franchise cricket before translating them internationally, stressed that mutual respect is vital.
“It comes in the tone that you speak. If you are aggressive or you’re pointing fingers, no one in the world will accept that. So it’s almost like a partnership in a conversation of how can we get the best of you and also where can you improve to get the best result for the game.”
