{
  "id": 1684539,
  "title": "Azhar Mahmood backs Babar Azam amid criticism",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/18/azhar-mahmood-backs-babar-azam-amid-criticism",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-18T09:42:56.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Daily Times",
    "slug": "daily-times",
    "url": "https://dailytimes.com.pk/1540166/azhar-mahmood-backs-babar-azam-amid-criticism/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "Former Pakistan all-rounder Azhar Mahmood has defended Babar Azam against criticism, calling him the country’s only superstar batsman and saying he deserves greater respect for his achievements. Mahmood said Babar has faced intense criticism from former cricketers and social media users despite his contributions to Pakistan cricket. He also described Babar as a shy player […]",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Yahoo Sports",
        "title": "ENG vs PAK 1st Test predicted playing XI: Likely Pakistan and England lineups as Babar Azam remains doubtful",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/18/eng-vs-pak-1st-test-predicted-playing-xi-likely-pakistan-and-england",
        "published": "2026-08-18T04:03:06.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}