Ahead of the Test match against the Sri Lanka National Cricket Team in Rawalpindi, the Pakistan National Cricket Team's captain for the Tests, Babar Azam, replied to the former Pakistan cricket team captain Mohammad Yousuf, who had advised the national cricket board to send Babar to a cricket academy in Australia or England to correct his batting technique.

Mohammad Yousuf's comments came after the three-nation ODI series in Pakistan, which was won by the host team, defeating Sri Lanka in the final. Babar Azam was dismissed without scoring a run in the series decider. As he is taking a long time to rediscover his form, the former cricketer advised the Pakistan Cricket Board to send the batter to an academy before pushing him to play in domestic cricket.

Babar Azam replies to Mohammad Yousuf

Babar Azam was asked about his own views on Yousuf's social media comments. The Test team captain stated that they were not in contact, as the former cricketer did not reach out to him to share his advice. Babar then mentioned that if the retired cricketer got in touch with him, he would definitely try to take lessons from him.

"We haven't been in contact. He has reached out to people on social media, but not to me. If he does get in touch with me, I would certainly take the opportunity to learn from him," Babar Azam told the reporters ahead of the Pakistan vs Sri Lanka first of the 2-match Test series.

Mohammad Yousuf advised PCB to send Babar Azam to an academy

On November 1, Mohammad Yousuf shared his thoughts on Babar Azam's recent bad patch. Yousuf was so critical in his assessment that he did not think Babar would be able to score significant runs even in first-class matches due to technical issues in his batting. Therefore, to fix the issues, the 52-year-old prescribed that the cricket board consider sending the superstar batter to a cricket academy.

"I don't think #BabarAzam should be playing first-class cricket until he fixes his technical issues through specialized coaching. Struggling in domestic cricket could further harm his confidence and career. Send him to an academy in #England or #Australia. He is still Pakistan's top player, and with the right guidance and a little effort, he can return to his best. I said this four years ago, and nobody listened. Please listen now," he wrote in his 'X' post.

I don't think #BabarAzam should be playing first class cricket until he fixes his technical issues through specialized coaching. Struggling in domestic cricket could further harm his confidence and career. Send him to an academy in #England or #Australia. He is still Pakistan's top player, and with the right guidance and a little effort, he can return to his best. I said this four years ago, and nobody listened. Please listen now 🙏

— Mohammad Yousaf (@yousaf1788) November 1, 2026

Mohammad Yousuf explained Babar Azam's dismissal

In a separate 'X' post, after the dismissal of Babar against England in Lahore on October 25, the ex-cricketer explained why the right-hander was dismissed in that match. Sharing an image of the dismissal, the former cricketer mentioned that the batter's left shoulder was not aligned properly with the line of the ball.

"Rather than keeping his left shoulder aligned with the line of the ball, he continues to play with his right shoulder open. As a result, he struggles to judge the line and swing of the delivery. This is really unfortunate for a player of his standard. He used to hit these shots through extra cover. The #BabarAzam we all once knew and admired," he stated.

Rather than keeping his left shoulder aligned with the line of the ball, he continues to play with his right shoulder open. As a result, he struggles to judge the line and swing of the delivery. This is really unfortunate for a player of his standard, He used to hit these shots through extra cover. The #BabarAzam we all once knew and admired

— Mohammad Yousaf (@yousaf1788) October 25, 2026