"His Captaincy Speaks for Itself" – Aaron Hardie Backs Babar’s Leadership to Guide Peshawar Zalmi in PSL 11

Aaron Hardie has backed Babar Azam’s leadership and experience to guide Peshawar Zalmi in PSL 11, with the tournament set to run until May 3. The Australian all-rounder, recently added to the squad as a replacement player, said the captain’s experience and calm approach would be important for the team during the season.

Hardie said Babar Azam had made overseas players feel comfortable in the squad and had already spent time working with him during practice sessions in Lahore. He praised the Pakistan captain’s understanding of the game and leadership style.

"Babar has been awesome. He's been very welcoming to all the overseas players and you know I got to bat with him in the nets today," Hardie told reporters.

"So be able to work with him to learn from someone as quality of the player as Babar has been awesome. […] His captaincy speaks for itself; he's very mature and knows a lot about the game.

So, he's played lots of 2020s, and yeah, he's going to be a calm head for us to rely on throughout the season."

Squad Balance and Tournament Atmosphere

Hardie also expressed confidence in the squad combination, saying the team had strong options in both batting and bowling departments. He pointed to experienced top-order batters, power hitters in the middle order, and a mix of pace and spin in the bowling attack.

"I've been impressed with everyone that I've seen. We've got some really quality batsmen at the top of the order and some really good power throughout the middle," Hardie stated.

"With some exciting young bowlers, some good pace some good spin options. So yeah, I think we have a really well-balanced team and squad, and I'm looking forward to seeing what we can do."

The all-rounder also spoke about playing in empty stadiums and said players still had to maintain professional standards regardless of crowd presence during Pakistan Super League matches.

"It's a shame to have no crowd. We're certainly hopeful that as the competition goes on that we can have some crowd join us. I know as players we love having the crowd there."