Babar Azam turns to Australian power-hitting expert

Pakistan skipper Babar Azam has sought the help of Shannon Young, the renowned Australian power-hitting coach, to reinvent his T20 skills after an underwhelming campaign in the just-concluded World Cup.

Babar made 120 runs from four matches at a strike-rate of 101, as Pakistan bowed out of the ICC showpiece even without entering the Super Eights.

Babar met Young, who coached Australia's Glenn Maxwell and Jake Fraser-McGurk, and discussed with him the essential skills required to execute power shots successfully in T20 format.

The meeting took place in Lahore where Young is on a private visit.

Young has been credited with mentoring a number of Australian players and improving their power-hitting skills.

The young batting sensation McGurk had set the 2024 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) alight with his range-hitting while playing for the Delhi Capitals.

Babar has often been criticised for his low strike-rate and inability to regularly hit sixes in the shortest format and after 123 T20Is he has a strike rate of 129.

The 29-year-old was removed as captain of all formats last year after Pakistan failed to qualify for the semifinals of the 50-over World Cup in India.

But he was reinstated as captain in the white ball formats ahead of the T20 World Cup in place of Shaheen Shah Afridi.