Babar reveals next goal following captaincy success in PSL
A return to form during the recent Pakistan Super League has Babar Azam primed to return to the international arena.
Pakistan batter Babar Azam has reaffirmed his desire to continue playing in all three formats for his country.
Babar has been a mainstay for Pakistan across formats for the majority of his career, but in recent times the 31-year-old has struggled to make runs on a consistent basis and the right-hander failed to make much of an impression during the ICC Men's T20 World Cup earlier this year.
Babar and Shaheen combine for amazing boundary relay catch | T20WC 2026
Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi combined superbly to hang on to this catch in their T20 World Cup opener against the Netherlands
But a title winning run as captain with Peshawar Zalmi in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) has reinvigorated Babar, with the former Pakistan skipper scoring two centuries across 11 matches to finish as the leading run-scorer at the tournament.
And now Babar wants to continue that momentum he has rediscovered and use it to make runs for Pakistan across all formats.
"My focus is on all three formats," Babar said.
"I feel a batter should play all cricket and should not limit himself to white-ball cricket.
"Red-ball cricket teaches you the art of batting long and instils patience in you. It helps you to understand how you can score big runs.
"And all the learnings from the red-ball game help you in white-ball cricket."
Babar Azam's exquisite cover drive | PAK v IND | Champions Trophy 2025
Babar shows his trademark cover drive against India at the ICC Champions Trophy event
Babar will likely get an immediate chance to continue his rich vein of form when Pakistan take on Bangladesh away from home in a two-match Test series that commences on Friday and is part of the ongoing ICC World Test Championship.
You have to go way back to December of 2022 to find the last time Babar scored a century in Test cricket.
His recent record against the white-ball prior to the PSL is not much better, with his sole half-century this calendar year coming at T20I level against Australia at the start of February and just prior to the T20 World Cup.
Babar makes it back-to-back fifties for Pakistan in crucial knock | CWC23
Batting highlights as Babar Azam scored a fighting fifty for Pakistan against South Africa at the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023
It's a barren run that Babar accepts is well below his own lofty expectations and one that he is determined to work on in the coming years.
"I was not up to my own expectations, but it is normal for a batter to struggle with his execution," he said.
"You have to take a few steps back and assess where you are going wrong and correct it. You need support in such times, and my family and close friends kept me motivated. I discussed the areas of improvement with the coaches who are close to me and worked on them.
"Life is like a rollercoaster, and things never stay the same. You learn from your good and bad experiences. That is how life goes."