Sports journalist Syed Yahya Hussaini drew sharp criticism online after talking about Peshawar Zalmi captain Babar Azam during a recent television programme, with viewers questioning both his logic and his fairness toward the star batter.

While discussing the Pakistan Super League (PSL), Husaini touched on Lahore Qalandars first, pointing out what he sees as a recurring geographical weakness. “They perform very well in Lahore, but when they come to Karachi, they seem to forget how to play cricket,” he said.

He then turned to Lahore’s upcoming fixture against Karachi Kings, expressing confidence that Lahore will not lose. He cited the mood inside the Lahore camp following the Fakhar Zaman controversy in their previous meeting against Karachi. 

“I’ve spoken to some Lahore players, and they said, ‘We will show in the match how we deal with Karachi,'” Hussaini said, describing the team as coming in with a sense of revenge.

It was his comments about Peshawar Zalmi, however, that ignited the real backlash.

“Lahore has a match against Peshawar Zalmi. People are saying that Zalmi achieved a lot too early. There is a lot of praise for Babar Azam, which is great, but now is the time for him to win matches single-handedly. His players have carried him to this point, but now Babar must win the toss, choose to bat, and finish the game himself, because if Zalmi loses now, it will be just because of Babar Azam,” Husaini said.

The remarks landed poorly with viewers, many of whom pointed out the obvious — Zalmi is a team of eleven players, not a one-man show.

“I thought Yahya is a good journalist but what the hell is he talking about. Zalmi have 11 players and he’s talking only about Babar,” one user wrote.

Others mocked the framing entirely. “Ya logic hamein bhi samjha dein? But khair, views lena ka acha tareeqa hai,” read another comment, suggesting the statement was designed more for engagement than analysis.

Several users accused Husaini of carrying a personal bias against Babar. “Is ka bughz nahi jata Babar se,” one commenter wrote. Another added: “Hahaha, inko khuwab mein bhi Babar nazar aata hoga.”

Some came to Babar’s defence with a broader point about respect. “Bhai, Allah Pak Babar ko izzat de raha hai, ye log zor bhi laga lein, izzat kam nahi kar sakte,” one user wrote.

A few went further and questioned Husaini’s credentials as an analyst. “Isse pata nahi cricket analyst kisne bana diya. Ab tu ye bhai sahab commentary bhi kar rahe hain. Pak cricket ka Allah hi Hafiz hai,” another viewer commented.

The criticism arrives at a moment when Babar and Zalmi are in strong form. 

Peshawar sit at the top of the PSL standings with 15 points from eight matches, winning seven and having one game washed out. 

Babar himself has scored 401 runs in seven matches at a strike rate of over 142 and an average of 100, with one century and two half-centuries to his name.