“For him to have a tournament like that is a concern” - Mahela Jayawardene on Babar Azam’s poor Asia Cup 2022 campaign

Sri Lankan legend Mahela Jayawardene has admitted that Pakistan captain Babar Azam’s poor form with the willow is a cause for concern for the team. He, however, termed the opener a quality player and backed him to return to form soon.

There was plenty of hope from Babar heading into the Asia Cup 2022 as he was in amazing form ahead of the tournament in the UAE. However, the 27-year-old had a forgettable time, managing only 68 runs in six Asia Cup matches.

Following the disappointing showing, the Pakistan captain lost his No.1 ICC T20I ranking to his opening partner Mohammad Rizwan. Analyzing Babar’s woes in the Asia Cup, Jayawardene said on the ICC Review show:

"The way Babar has been batting the last two years, for him to have a tournament like that is a concern. But I think he is still a quality player.”

Hinting that the pressure of the big occasion got to him, the former Sri Lankan batter added:

"Probably the occasion being, you know, part of an Asia Cup, and not that often that India-Pakistan play each other as well. So maybe the whole pressure got to him a little bit, I would say. But he is still a quality player.

"Pakistan did miss him with the bat because Rizwan and him at the top are a very, very consistent opening pair. The success of Pakistan over the last two years has been on that foundation, where all the big-hitters come in the middle and they (Babar and Rizwan) give that platform and they take it on."

Jayawardene asserted:

"That’s something that they missed, but all good players go through some lean patch. I’m sure he will go back and go through his processes and come back stronger."

In spite of Babar’s disappointing returns, the former Sri Lankan captain dismissed suggestions that bowlers had figured out how to bowl at him. He replied:

"Not really I think, there were a couple of good balls that caught him out in this competition and a couple of soft dismissals, which can happen. It’s just the occasion, the conditions and all that.

"You take him away from this tournament and put him in another tournament, and he will come back strongly - the quality is always there.”

Babar's best score of 30 in the Asia Cup came against Sri Lanka in their last Super 4 match. He battled hard, but was eventually bowled by Wanindu Hasaranga in a failed attempt to break free.

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“Two responsibilities have to be managed separately” - Jayawardene on Babar’s batting and captaincy

Being a former captain and key batter in the side during his playing days, Jayawardene admitted that playing the dual role is not an easy task.

Sharing advice for Babar, he said that it is important for the cricketer not to take too much pressure keeping the T20 World Cup in mind. Jayawardene explained:

"When you have a quality player like that, try and not put pressure on him. I’m sure there would have been a lot of discussion about his form in the Asia Cup and all that. But leading into the World Cup, you want your best player to be confident and relaxed, going into the World Cup.

"So as long as they are not putting undue pressure on him, that’s the important thing. Being the captain and being the best batsman in your team, it is not an easy task. That’s something that he has to live up to.”

Urging the Pakistan star to manage his batting and leadership duties separately, he concluded by saying:

"Going into a World Cup, forget about his captaincy and all that – be the batsman that he can be, and then be the captain that he needs to be out there on the field. These two responsibilities have to be managed separately, and that’s key to being a good player and then being a captain of the team."

Babar will be seen in action when Pakistan take on England in a seven-match T20I series, which begins in Karachi on Tuesday, September 20.