Journalist Shahid Hashmi has made startling claims about the personal life of Pakistan's star batsman Babar Azam, suggesting that  his family's pressure on marriage might be affecting his performance in the Big Bash League (BBL).

 

In a recent interview on a YouTube channel, Hashmi discussed the private issues he believes are impacting Babar's form for Sydney Sixers in the ongoing BBL season.

 

"He has some problems. I think maybe mental problems, maybe some family problems, because we have been hearing a lot of stories that his marriage is very much on the cards," Hashmi said. "His family, his father and mother, want him to marry his cousin. He wants to marry someone else."

 

The journalist suggested the family disputes could explain Babar's recent poor dismissals. "If these rumors are to be believed, if these reports are to be believed, maybe this problem is causing some mental issues. That's why he's not getting out to good balls or good bowlers, but getting out playing loose shots himself," Hashmi explained.

 

Hashmi pointed to specific instances where Babar appeared mentally distracted rather than technically challenged. "We've seen this in international series, in the 2023 World Cup, and now in the Big Bash as well. He was trapped very smartly by Tom Curran in the latest match and got out for two or three runs. He's not scoring runs."

 

Hashmi expressed hope that Sydney Sixers coach Greg Shippard could help turn things around. He recalled Babar's successful stint with Somerset in the Vitality Blast during 2019 and 2020, where the coach pushed him to increase his strike rate from 115-120 to 145 plus.

 

"He needs a good coach. Mike Hesson, when the Asia Cup squad was announced, said that Babar Azam will have an opportunity to come good, to score some runs, to gain some confidence in the Big Bash," Hashmi noted.

 

However, Hashmi also pointed out that outside pressure may have disrupted the original plan. "But maybe from the outside noise, maybe some pressure from outside forced Hesson to include him in the series against South Africa in the tri-series. He scored a few runs. He played a few good innings, but overall his form, his batting was not satisfactory."

 

Babar Azam currently plays for Sydney Sixers in the BBL. So far, he has scored 129 runs in 5 matches with two fifties, maintaining a strike rate of 117.27 and an average of 32.25.