'You should retire...' - Flop show in BBL 2025-26 force former cricketer to send strong messege to Babar Azam and Rizwan

The debut season of the Pakistani star batters Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan in the Big Bash League 2025-26 (BBL 2025-26) turns into a nightmare for both of the batters. With their ongoing poor form, former Pakistan international Tanveer Ahmed suggests they think about taking retirements from international cricket.

Tanveer Ahmed, 47, suggests Azam and Rizwan think about retirement if they feel disrespected. Ahmed believes that the respect of the cricketers is in their own hands. His comments emerge amid their below-par batting performances in the BBL 2025-26 for their respective franchises.

"My request to Babar Azam and Rizwan is if you feel that you are not being given the respect you deserve, then you should retire from international cricket. Respect is in your own hands," Ahmed opined.

Read More: Watch: Abhishek Bachchan openly invites Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to join this new T20 league

Former Pakistan international urges Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan to think about retiremnts

Babar Azam is an integral part of the Sydney Sixers. He has played back-to-back matches for them and failed to produce any positive impact on the field even after smashing a couple of half-centuries. The Pakistan superstar was heavily criticized for maintaining a low strike rate in the T20 tournament. After playing 11 matches for the Sixers, the average strike rate of the experienced batter is 103.1, which is far away from expectations.

Babar Azam's BBL 2025-26 batting stats:

On the other side, Mohammad Rizwan, a middle-order batter for the Melbourne Renegades, appears as one of the worst performers in the tournament, as his average strike rate and batting average read 102.7 and 20.8, respectively, without registering a single half-century. His highest score for Renegades is 41.

Mohammad Rizwan's BBL 2025-26 batting stats: