Sharjah, October 29,2026: Former Pakistan captain and legendary fast bowler Waqar Younis has backed Babar Azam as Pakistan cricket’s “last superstar,” defending the batter amid growing criticism of his recent performances across formats.
Speaking on the Unplugged podcast hosted by Indian journalist Shubhankar Mishra, Younis was asked to name Pakistan’s last cricket superstar. Although Mishra suggested former Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Amir as a contender, Younis identified Babar and pace spearhead Shaheen Shah Afridi as the country’s current cricketing superstars.
“Babar Azam is a superstar, Shaheen Afridi is a superstar,” Younis said.
Mishra challenged his assessment, questioning Babar’s match-winning performances, particularly against India. He also cited Pakistan greats such as Wasim Akram, Shoaib Akhtar, Saeed Anwar, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Abdul Razzaq, Younis Khan, Mohammad Yousuf and Shahid Afridi, who produced notable performances in high-profile matches.
Younis, however, maintained that Babar faced additional pressure because of the lack of consistent support from other established batters in the national team.
“The sad part for Babar is that he is alone. If there were four or five other big names alongside him, things might have been different, and there would have been less pressure on him,” he said.
“If there is only one batter on whom the entire team relies, naturally the pressure on him increases,” he added.
To support his argument, Younis recalled Pakistan’s batting strength during the 1990s, when several established players featured in the top order.
“When you remember Pakistan’s team from the 1990s, you can name all six batters in the top order. But today, apart from Babar, how many Pakistani batters can you name?” he asked.
Mishra countered by citing Indian batting legend Sachin Tendulkar, suggesting that Tendulkar had also carried the burden of his team’s batting.
Younis disagreed, arguing that Tendulkar had the support of several accomplished players throughout his career. He mentioned Sanjay Manjrekar and Navjot Singh Sidhu during Tendulkar’s early years, followed by Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman.
“Sachin was never alone. Early on, he had Sanjay Manjrekar and [Navjot Singh] Sidhu Paaji alongside him,” Younis said.
The former fast bowler also argued that Babar’s strong performances early in his international career had raised expectations to exceptionally high levels, making subsequent failures more noticeable.
“Babar’s issue is that he performed so well right from the beginning of his career that expectations became extremely high,” he said.
Drawing a comparison with India’s Virat Kohli, Younis said even established stars faced intense criticism after brief periods of poor form.
“If Virat Kohli fails in one or two matches, the whole country starts saying that he is finished,” he said.
