Babar Azam was overlooked in Pakistan squad for Asia Cup 2025 tournament.
Not only has he advocated for Babar to return to the shortest format by increasing his strike rate, but the tone in which he made the suggestion has also sparked a significant debate.
The 24-year-old keeper-batter was asked if Babar should alter his batting style in the shortest format in an interview tape that has gone viral on social media, and Haris agreed.
“Tez ya slow (fast or slow),” was the interviewer’s follow-up question, to which Haris picked the former option with a chuckle.
The fact that he laughed in response to a query about Babar's strike rate seems to have offended both Babar's supporters and specialists, including former cricket players.
Former Pakistani batsman Basit Ali and former wicketkeeper-batter Kamran Akmal are among those who have criticized Haris for his interpretation of Babar's strike rate; the former even went so far as to suggest that Haris should be "beaten with a stick" for his remarks about his elder.
“If Mohammad Haris says that Babar Azam needs improvement, then he deserves to get beaten with a stick. Abbe, tum ho kya ki tum Babar Azam ke liye baat kar rahe ho? (Who do you think you are to comment on Babar Azam?),” Basit Ali said on The Game Plan show on YouTube.
Kamran Akmal stated that PCB must give Pakistani cricketers training on how to speak in public and to the media to avoid making controversial statements.
“It’s the responsibility of the Pakistan Cricket Board to train players when it comes to answering such questions. However, he (Haris) isn’t a kid any longer and understands everything. He should have made it clear that he is in no position to comment on Babar and instead needs to learn from him when it comes to improving his own batting and delivering match-winning performances for Pakistan,” Akmal said.
Babar Azam, along with Mohammad Rizwan, has been overlooked by Pakistan selectors for the Asia Cup 2025 and is most likely not to be considered for the T20 World Cup 2026.