‘It starts with honesty’ – Former South Africa captain urges Pakistan team to be frank with Babar Azam

Former South Africa captain Faf du Plessis has offered some candid advice to the Pakistan camp amid the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, particularly regarding the struggles of batting star Babar Azam.

Babar, once regarded as one of the most dependable batters in world cricket, has endured a lean patch in this tournament, drawing scrutiny and criticism for his strike rate and overall impact. Du Plessis feels that head coach Mike Hesson should have an honest discussion with Babar about his role and performance, rooted in clear data and self-reflection.

“It starts with honesty. That’s the groundwork of any conversation that happens. Once you’re honest in your conversation as a coach, everything flows from that… whereas if you are hopping around and not telling the truth as a coach or a captain, it leads to holes a player can jump into,” he was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.

The 41-year-old further pointed out that the modern T20 game has evolved rapidly, especially playing with high strike rates and quick scoring, areas where Babar has struggled to keep pace. Du Plessis suggested that confronting reality head-on and backing it with data could help Babar understand what adjustments are needed.

“For a coach, it’s like, ‘Listen, these are the numbers. The numbers are suggesting this…’ Once the stats are in front of a player, it’s pretty difficult to go ‘I’m not agreeing with you’,” he added.

Growth happens when you’re uncomfortable, believes Faf

Reflecting on the pathways to growth, Du Plessis gave the example of his own career, saying that it comes from discomfort and confronting uncomfortable truths, something he had to navigate when adapting his own game. Such self-evaluation, he believes, is key for a player of Babar’s calibre who now finds himself in trouble.

“Growth happens when you’re uncomfortable. The challenge with that is that what you then go through is uncomfortable. Because now you’re doing something for the first time that you’ve never done in your entire career. I had to do that against spin. But it’s very easy on the net because there’s no consequence. I went to the Hundred, tried to replicate what I did in the nets, and failed. And the guy on my shoulder said, ‘Why are you doing this, you’re successful?’ But the other guy goes stick with it,” he concluded.

Pakistan’s management has already been adjusting Babar’s role during the tournament, including moving him down the order to better suit the team’s strategic needs. Despite all of these efforts, the former Pakistan captain has only managed to score only 81 runs across four innings.