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'Umar Bhai…': When Babar Azam Pleaded With Cousin Umar Akmal For Tips Against Spinners

Bhargav Dixit

Umar Akmal and Babar Azam are related to each other. [Source: @Umar96Akmal & @TheRealPCB/X]Umar Akmal and Babar Azam are related to each other. [Source: @Umar96Akmal & @TheRealPCB/X]

Not part of Pakistan’s T20I squad for the ongoing New Zealand tour, former Pakistan captain Babar Azam had once sought advice from cousin Umar Akmal regarding facing spinners. With the video doing the rounds across social media platforms, the same has been claimed by the latter during an appearance on a private television channel.

Further throwing light on the incident, Akmal shared how he helped Azam with regard to changing the grip of his bat against spinners so that he doesn’t hit the ball towards the mid-wicket fielder.

“I distinctly remember when he was struggling against spinners, often getting out around midwicket. He came to me and said, ‘Umar bhai, I’m having a bit of trouble’. I asked about his grip on the bat and suggested that when facing a spinner, he should adjust his grip and keep his eyes on the ball until it’s halfway to him. From there, he could decide whether to cut it or play a shot that wouldn’t go flat,” Akmal said.

For those who don’t know, Umar, younger brother of former Pakistan wicket-keeper batter Kamran Akmal, is the elder cousin of Azam through their paternal families.

Babar Azam Record Against Spin Bowling

Out of the 307 times that Azam has been dismissed in international cricket, 199 have been against pacers and 108 have been against spinners. A strike rate of 83.11 against pacers is reduced to 77.70 against spinners across the three formats.

Additionally, the presence of Adil Rashid (7), Michel Bracewell (7), Ish Sodhi (6) and Prabath Jayasuriya (6) among the top five bowlers who have dismissed him at the highest level confirms that he is susceptible to spin bowling.

Notably, T20 is one format with a significant difference between Azam’s strike rate against fast bowlers and spinners. While the right-handed batter, who failed during the ongoing National T20 Cup as well, strikes at 133.19 when offered pace on the ball, the number falls down to 121.51 against spin bowling in the shortest format.