Former Pakistan captain urges Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi to take break from cricket

Former Pakistan captain Azhar Ali has suggested that star duo Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi should take a break from cricket to rediscover their form.

Azhar, who represented Pakistan in 97 Tests and 53 ODIs, shared his views during the Eid Special programme on a local news channel, where he took part in a rapid-fire round.

When asked to offer advice to the two players, the former Test batter recommended time away from international cricket.

“Babar should take a six-month break from international cricket,” he said.

“He [Shaheen] should also take three months’ rest so that he can regain his fitness. I feel that if he takes two or three months off, he will return as a great bowler,” he added.

Both players have been under scrutiny following their underwhelming performances at the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026.

Babar, the leading run-scorer in T20Is, managed just 91 runs in six matches at an average of 22.75, with 46 being his highest score.

As a result, he was omitted from the three-match ODI series against Bangladesh, although Aqib Javed later revealed that the batter was not fully fit during the tournament.

Meanwhile, Shaheen claimed eight wickets in five matches but conceded runs at an economy rate of 10.52.

In their recent outing against Bangladesh in a three-match ODI series, Pakistan registered their second series defeat against the Bengal Tigers on their home soil after 11 years, since being whitewashed 3-0 in 2015.

The right-handed batter was not part of Pakistan's squad, as the line-up consisted of new talents, with Shamyl Hussain, Sahibzada Farhan, Saad Masood, Ghasi Ghori, Abdul Samad and Maaz Sadaqat making their international debut.