'Babar Azam has the most toxic fan base': Azam Khan opens up on social media abuse in Pakistan cricket

‘Babar Azam has the most toxic fan base’: Azam Khan opens up on social media abuse in Pakistan cricket originally appeared on Cricket News.
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KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• Azam Khan has criticised the online abuse of Pakistan ace Babar Azam’s followers during a podcast.
• He stressed that his complaint concerned the supporters and not Babar’s ability.
• The host agreed, saying analysts get abusive messages even for mild, constructive criticism.

‘Babar is fine, but his fan base is toxic’: Azam Khan hits out at social media trolling

Wicketkeeper-batter Azam Khan, who has had a fair share of online abuse himself, has taken aim at Babar Azam’s fans on the Backward Point Podcast and described the fan culture around the former captain as “toxic”. 

On virtue of being the poster boy of Pakistan cricket, Babar has been under close watch for years. Every innings he plays draws a loud reaction, and the volume of that reaction often crosses the boundaries of constructive criticism. 

Azam, however, was careful about where he pointed the finger. He did not say a word against Babar’s cricket, and he made it clear that his complaint was only about the behaviour of online followers. 

“We cricketers have a very ignorant (Jaahil) fanbase. Obviously, nothing wrong with Babar and his game, but his fan base is very toxic,” Azam said.

He then added: “I mean, if you see those things, you’d be like, ‘Bro, why would he even say that?'”

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Babar Azam’s recent form: Tri-series struggles add to his woes

Babar is currently going through a lean patch of form. In the recent ODI tri-series involving Pakistan, England and Sri Lanka, the 32-year-old scored only 118 runs in five matches, at an average of 23.60 and a strike rate of 74.21.

He failed to reach a half-century at any point in the competition, which has added to the worries about his recent returns in international cricket.

His troubles carried over into domestic cricket, too. During the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy Gold 2026-27 match between Lahore Region Whites and FATA Region at the Diamond Cricket Ground on Wednesday, Babar was given out caught behind off Afaq Afridi on the second day of the four-day game.

On the last ball of the 28th over, it appeared that Babar was beaten before wicketkeeper Rehan Afridi collected it. The bowler appealed at once, and the on-field umpire raised his finger.

Babar looked unhappy with the decision and pointed towards his thigh pad, apparently to suggest that the ball had hit the pad and not the bat. He nevertheless walked off after making 28 off 40 balls, an innings that included six boundaries.

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Why Azam Khan’s remarks on Babar Azam’s fan base deserve to be taken seriously

Azam Khan deserves credit for choosing his words with care. It would have been easy to turn the conversation into a swipe at Babar, but he did the opposite and made it clear that the player was not the problem.

That distinction is important. Babar is a sportsman, and like every athlete, there will be periods of success and failure. It is part of the sport, and with every failure comes criticism. However, online trolling is a menace, and one has little control over it. 

Azam is right to point that out, but the harder question is whether fans will listen. Followers who attack analysts for a fair opinion do the player no favours, since they make honest discussion of his form almost impossible and push reasonable voices out of the conversation.

There is also a human cost that is easy to overlook. Players such as Azam have faced cruel jokes about their bodies and careers, and journalists get abusive messages in their inboxes for doing their job.

Pakistan cricket does not need less passion, because that passion is a big reason why the game thrives in the country. However, it does need a bit more restraint, and a willingness to accept that a batter can be admired and still be criticised on a day when he scores a duck.

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