{
  "id": 2118848,
  "title": "Babar Azam slammed for Pakistan’s pace bowling decline: ‘He wanted flatter tracks’",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/20/babar-azam-slammed-for-pakistans-pace-bowling-decline-he-wanted",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-20T11:01:55.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Indian Express",
    "slug": "the-indian-express",
    "url": "https://indianexpress.com/article/sports/cricket/urooj-mumtaz-slams-babar-azam-pakistan-fast-bowling-decline-10841730/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Former Pakistani women's cricketer Urooj Mumtaz has criticized Babar Azam's captaincy, highlighting her belief that his preference for flatter tracks over pace-friendly surfaces has contributed to Pakistan's decline in producing world-class pacers. Pakistan has a rich history of great fast bowlers like Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, and Shoaib Akhtar, but Mumtaz argues that the modern-day cricket has seen a sharp decline in the quality of their pace attack. She attributes this decline to the poor pitch conditions in Pakistan, stating that the pitches are not conducive to fast bowling. Mumtaz also points out the shift in focus towards batting-friendly conditions during Babar's tenure as captain, which has resulted in fast bowlers being given minimal assistance. She highlights the unfortunate absence of top pacers like Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, and Haris Rauf, attributing their decline to the lack of support and focus on pace bowling at both international and domestic levels.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [
    "Babar Azam blamed for Pakistan's pace decline.",
    "Urooj Mumtaz criticizes preference for flat tracks.",
    "Mumtaz cites poor pitch conditions as key factor."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "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."
}