Babar said scrutiny should remain professional rather than targeting individuals.
Pakistan batter Babar Azam has publicly criticized the "personal" and "below the belt" nature of comments from their former players, arguing that scrutiny should remain professional rather than targeting individuals.
Speaking on Zalmi TV, Babar claimed that such attacks have become far too frequent and supported teammate Shadab Khan for defending the current squad against ex-players following an early T20 World Cup 2026 exit.
Notably, former cricketers like Shahid Afridi and Mohammad Yousuf had called for senior players to be dropped from the team after Pakistan lost to arch-rivals by 61 runs during the T20 World Cup match in Colombo.
Addressing a press conference, Shadab hit back at the critics, reminding that the current crop of players has defeated India in a Word Cup match in 2021 unlike the legends of yesteryear. His comments had triggered a massive outrage back in Pakistan.
"When they speak about things, it's right, but if the current player has said something, it's not right. Anyway, it's a different ball game. Shadab said something in the heat of the moment. Everyone has their own way of speaking," Babar stated.
"But in the end, you are just fighting among yourselves. There should be an effort to support the Pakistan team. Yes, we didn't do well in the T20 World Cup. We know we didn't perform well," he added.
Babar emphasized that while players accept feedback regarding their performance, personal insults affect player morale and cause them to feel the need to defend their self-respect.
"There is no comparison. If you talk about the 90s cricketers, they are very experienced. They have played more cricket. If they think we are making mistakes, then we must be. But sometimes, there are personal attacks. When that happens, a player thinks about answering back," he remarked.