Hanif Malik is a former first-class cricketer from Hyderabad who has been Pakistan's batting coach since May 2025. He started coaching in 2010 after an injury cut short his playing career, and has since then worked extensively with Pakistan's domestic and age-group teams, including Karachi's domestic sides, Islamabad United in the PSL, and Pakistan's Shaheens. Malik has played a crucial role in the development of a number of players in the men's and women's teams. We sat down with him after Hyderabad Kingsmen's first game in this year's PSL to talk about Pakistan's batting problems and potential solutions.
You are more known as a performance or conditioning coach rather than as a batting coach. You specifically devised that role for yourself at Islamabad United. Why did you feel the need for defining it that way?
There is a notion that our players are not strong technically or physically [which is incorrect]. Instead, they are not mentally strong and do not train with consistency. The young talent wows us, but those players stagnate at senior level. Unlike in the past, players have many distractions nowadays.
There is no proper preparation for players in our system. I had to broaden my scope so I could work on their psychological conditioning and strengthening along with the technical side, tactical [acumen] and developing game awareness and character. Talent helps in the identification of a player, but what helps them succeed is character-building. That requires a proper structure and process in which you map how a player will evolve as a professional.
There is not enough emphasis on character-building in our system. This post did not exist in PSL teams, I had to convince Rehan [ul-Haq, general manager of Islamabad United] bhai to create it. I told him my role would be to develop players' skill matrixes, mental toughness and character. I brought technical skills and mental-toughness coaching - which were done in isolation - together.
How do you quantify skill matrixes?
I use different sensors [to collect data for analysis] for batting and bowling, which help players identify the areas where they are struggling so we can work on them. Our cricketers are not behind their counterparts around the world in any aspect but preparation. Let's say you plan to drive from Lahore to Karachi; you get the wheel alignment and maintenance done of your car. Bringing in technology does the same for players.
Teams around the world take off seasons where their players take a break from cricket to analyse himself or herself and work on their weaknesses. That does not happen here. We are mostly hopping from one event to another. We do not have time for preparation. The execution of a player's preparation here happens only at the international level, where he is already under pressure to perform, which makes him go into his shell.
The preparation you speak of, what does it involve?
When I was not working with the PCB, I used to work with players privately once a year. We used to lock 40 days in a year and it was nothing like the regular routine where you wake up at 11am and do light gym work, and light batting and fielding drills. They used to wake up early and train, do mental conditioning and affirmation, yoga, do their physical and skill work, and then analyse the data [we had gathered that day] before hitting bed. Their social activities were limited so they could focus on their preparation.
I tell players to watch all seven Rocky movies. It teaches the importance of preparation. Despite him being a good boxer, he trains for every opponent. I want to inculcate the importance of preparation in our players.
Do you think being a better cricketer has more to do with being mentally mature rather than stronger skills as such?
There is only a 30% success rate for a batter, regardless of his skill level. Our players are skilful, they have the technique and they are physically strong, but they struggle in decision-making and adapting to situations. You need to be mentally strong for good decision-making. Being mentally tough helps a player control the outside noise. That is essential to perform under pressure.
"We need to give time to our youngsters and stop presenting them as the next Saeed Anwars or Brett Lees. We shouldn't be hyping players based on one season"
I can improve a player's technique in three to four days through two to three thousand repetitions. But the problem lies in execution, which demands mental toughness and belief in one's own skills, which requires proper time.
Skill is a combination of technique, physical ability, and the ability to handle pressure situations. We confuse a player's ability to play a cover drive with skill, which is technique [one aspect of it].
Our players do not go through a proper journey, and that stunts their growth. They are exposed to international cricket after attending a camp or playing an event that they have made it to on the basis of an Under-19 performance. It is like asking a matriculation student to take a Master's degree exam.
We don't care for their growth because we have talented players coming through each year, and we jump from one player to another without giving them time to develop.
Sanju Samson's international debut was in 2016 and it is after ten years that the world is talking about him. He has a ten-year journey in international cricket and there must have been another ten years before it at the age-group and domestic level.
We need to give time to our youngsters and stop presenting them as the next Saeed Anwars or Brett Lees. We shouldn't be hyping players based on one season or one event and then disregarding them in the next. Young players have immature minds and they develop mental health issues and anxiety. This game is supposed to be fun for these players but we put so much pressure on them. We should give them ample time to develop.
Is your role with the Pakistan men's team and Hyderabad Kingsmen as broad as it was at Islamabad United?
It is not as broad. I mostly stick to batting.
It was a difficult decision to leave Islamabad Untied. They were my home and family. But they also wanted to see me grow as a coach [and take on other opportunities]. Hyderabad Kingsmen have solid plans, which are crucial for our system. They have a 20-year plan through which they hope to produce modern-day cricketers across Sindh.
The PSL will end in 40-42 days, but I want to work on their pathways programmes. Kingsmen field teams in grade-two cricket and they plan to build a high-performance centre in Hyderabad, where I am from. It will help the region and country at large. It was easy for me to continue in the previous role, but I wanted to challenge myself.
You have been involved in domestic and age-group coaching. Do you think Pakistan's coaching methods are still stuck in the past?
We all need to upgrade ourselves. Everyone - strength-and-conditioning coaches, physiotherapists, and [skill] coaches.
You will see our top batters play commanding shots in domestic cricket because the opposition do not do homework on them. The bowlers keep feeding balls in their stronger areas and the batters continue to score runs. We need to inculcate the need to study the opposition in our domestic system. Rather than passing basic instructions to our batters like "Don't drive the ball outside off", we should plan for their roles and match situations, and how they can go beyond par scores.
"It will take three years to see results if we commit ourselves to a process. But here we do not have the patience to wait for three weeks"
There is no match for our players between the ages of 17 and 21, and that is underscored by our victories in the U-19 and Emerging Asia Cups. Because it is talent versus talent. But after this stage players around the world grow because of their exposure to sports sciences and they have a proper structure that helps their development.
I also hold our players responsible [for the lack of growth]. In this day and age of information, why can't they look up what is needed to become a good cricketer?
And there is another problem. Our 19-year-olds try to emulate the Virat Kohli of today. They are trying to measure [up to] a player who is way beyond them. It is as if they are at chapter two and they are trying to copy someone who is at chapter 15.
Hasan Nawaz, Asif Ali, and Haider Ali deliver for their teams in the PSL. But they have struggled to do so in Pakistan colours. Why is that?
PSL happens for a short time and there are so many matches that a player can score in three out of ten matches and walk away with a good reputation. When a player moves to the Pakistan team, the scrutiny increases. If a player fails in a bilateral series, there is heavy criticism. It leaves him scared for his position. Soon he is premeditating shots rather than responding to the ball because his only thought is to score runs. There is so much noise around him, about his technique and everything.
We need to commit ourselves to a process. It will take three years to see results if we commit ourselves to a process. But here we do not have the patience to wait for three weeks.
How tough is the job of being batting coach of the Pakistan team?
My job is to motivate a player and commit him to the process. The problem our players face is that they do not have ample time for preparation. They need time to work on themselves. Some of our players who have been playing since 2015-16 are at the same level from when they started. Most of the players we played against in the Emerging Asia Cup in 2023 are now in their senior national sides. But our players are struggling to transition to the senior team.
I was aware this was going to be a very challenging job. The most an ordinary first-class cricketer like me can become is a fielding coach of the senior men's side. But I have breached the ceiling through hard work. My journey to becoming a Pakistan batting coach is testament that there is no parchi [nepotism] in the system. I started at UBL and worked with 13 cricketers. I then moved to the Karachi and Pakistan U-19 teams. Then I worked with the emerging and women's teams and now I am working with the Pakistan men's team for a year.
This is a performance-based job and I am open to criticism. I listen to people who criticise my work, as their suggestions may help me become better at my work. I try to talk to them and explain that I require time to deliver what I am trying to achieve here.
It is not possible to change such a big structure in two months. Even a house takes two years for construction. I can say I've done well by asking who was batting coach for the player who set the record for the most runs in a single T20 World Cup [Sahibzada Farhan] or by bringing forward the progress that our team has made in the T20I and ODI rankings. But such performances or progressions have not won us matches.
There have been batting collapses in your time. Is it more of a mental issue than skill?
Both. We have to defeat them [India] mentally and tactically. India have developed fluency in their game because they play in conditions where 250 is par. The conditions that we played in have par scores of 160-170. That's a big difference.
A big problem is that we want to win every series. Winning should be a by-product of the processes and benchmarks that are set. Every team goes through collapses. Did India not collapse against us in the Asia Cup final? We had them but they won because of Tilak Varma.
India has come through a process of 20 years. We, as a team, had come together just four months before the Asia Cup and nine months before the [2026] T20 World Cup and used 30 players during this time.
"Powerplay and death phases are not a marker of a player's ability. We need to put our batters through the grind to prepare for overs 7-15 in T20Is and 20-40 in ODIs"
Could we have moved Ishan Kishan, a player who was scoring runs, to No. 3 in the T20 World Cup and replaced him as opener with a player who was warming the bench? Could we have left out Shubman Gill from the squad? They were able to take such bold decisions because of their system.
There is a significant difference in the mindsets [of players from either side]. An Indian player is focused towards serving his country. He stays within their system the whole year. When he is not playing for India, he is at either the high-performance centre or playing in the Ranji Trophy. Here, a player is looking to score runs because of the fear of losing his place.
We need batters for the middle overs, which is the toughest phase to bat, and that is where a batter's abilities are truly tested. Powerplay and death phases are not a marker of a player's ability. We need to put our batters through the grind to prepare for overs 7-15 in T20Is and 20-40 in ODIs.
We will start winning if we start developing players for the middle overs. Batters score runs in powerplays because of huge gaps outside the circle and at the death because they are looking to hit the ball. India and England played better than us in the middle overs [in the T20 World Cup] and they beat us. We give tough time to these oppositions, but it is in the middle overs where we struggle. Our country wants to see our team fight and that is missing. We need that fight.
The mood is gloomy because the team didn't do well in the T20 World Cup, but there have been some positives. Salman Ali Agha has moulded himself in a T20 No. 3 role and Faheem Ashraf has been doing well as a finisher.
We are not playing well as a team. The top order's responsibility is to score 55-60 runs in the powerplay and the middle order has to score at around 8.5 an over in the middle. Death overs can be managed. The players need to understand their responsibilities according to each phase and perform in their roles.
We need to stop glorifying individuals. If a player wins us a game, it was his role and he only performed it. We lack execution under pressure and it is because of the noise around our players. We, the coaches, have to sort this out. Our players become insecure about their place in the side after one bad innings regardless of assurances, and that is because of our system.
We waste overs seven, eight and nine in T20Is regardless of the quality of opposition because of our mindset. You will not find any technical flaws in these players in nets, practice matches, or in lower-pressure games. Our fielding and energy [during the T20 World Cup] was at a different level altogether. We need to start following a process rather than planning event by event.
Why do you think Babar Azam and Saim Ayub have lost their touch?
Saim Ayub is struggling with his decision-making under pressure. He is talented, has ability, and his character is very strong. He has evolved since his comeback from injury, but on a different scale. His physical fitness has improved. His agility and speed in the field have improved. He has evolved as a bowler. At 23, he is competing with players who are 30 or more for the top T20I allrounder spot. He understands that his primary responsibility is to score runs.
There were videos [going viral] of Abhishek Sharma practising with Yuvraj Singh after he scored in the Asia Cup but people don't understand that those videos are from four-five years ago. Development takes time. I am happy that Saim is developing. But there is also disappointment that he has not done well, and Saim will be more disappointed than us.
I refuse to believe there is any issue with Babar Azam. He is detail-oriented when it comes to his practice and works hard. You can say he may not have evolved as well as batters around the world, but that is because he has always been the best performer in whatever team he has played in. Put Babar in a team with Harry Brook, a couple of players from West Indies, and a player from India and he will evolve.
He has been working on his game with honesty. There is a performance circle. Your good performances follow bad ones and vice-versa. Babar had a peak for so long at the beginning of his career and a trough had to come.
We measure Babar's performances on a different scale because of what he has done in the past. He has scored two fifties and a hundred in his last [15] innings. We have one player who can be a role model for upcoming cricketers, but there has been so much criticism that it has had an impact on him. Noises around you do have an impact, regardless of what one says, but I am sure that Babar will do wonders for us in one of the ICC tournaments.
Should he go back to domestic cricket?
He can play club matches. All he needs to do is play matches. He prepares meticulously but is not playing matches, because of which there is a problem with decision-making. I tell him that he does not have to prove to anyone that he can hit a six.
We need batsmanship from Babar. He scores at a strike rate of around 130 to 138 and all he needs is one more boundary [per innings] to improve it. That can be through a ramp, over mid-off, or through third man by using the crease. He looks to muscle the ball through the line over midwicket just to prove that he can do it. He used to hit such balls for four with glances and flicks. All we need is an improvement in his boundary percentage.
He is the world's No. 1 batter. If the world's No. 1 batter can struggle like this because of our environment then how can we complain when our youngsters do?
You have worked with Shan Masood and Rumman Raees. Who are the others in the current Pakistan set-up whom you have coached?
Agha and Hussain Talat used to travel to Karachi whenever they needed me. Fatima Sana and Muneeba Ali have been with me.
Ghazi Ghori is another. I map out plans for my players and earmarked 2027 as the year for Ghori to play for Pakistan. I wanted him to play domestic cricket, work on his wicketkeeping, and spend more time on the crease by playing more competitive matches. For Saim Ayub, we had earmarked 2024 to be the year he would play for Pakistan.
Our players are missing crucial stages of their development because we hurry them to the Pakistan team. When Saim made his international debut against Afghanistan [in 2023] I told people to let him go to England for league cricket and for him to play domestic in Pakistan so he goes through failures and successes.
When a player comes to me for coaching, I make them sign a paper in which we agree on goals and how they achieve those. Saim wrote he would become an established first-class cricketer by 2023 and play for Pakistan in 2024. He missed one year of his development. I still have that paper.
All the players that played in that Afghanistan T20I series in 2023 should have been part of the Pakistan team right now. They all are very talented. They got exposure of international cricket, after which they should have been asked to go back to domestic cricket to toughen themselves mentally and physically.
When a player comes to you, how does it work?
I ask them what they want to achieve by playing cricket. When they say they want to serve Pakistan, I tell them their goal should be to become a top professional athlete instead. Limiting one's goal to playing for Pakistan stunts their growth because they do not know what to do after getting the Pakistan cap.
I make them commit to cricket. I tell them it has to be their priority. I work on their social values, mental toughness, and ensure that they follow their daily routine. We prepare for where the game will be in two years.
These players have been upset with me since I have started to work with the Pakistan teams. We do not get the time anymore to prepare how we did before. We used to talk cricket, analyse footage, use technologies and plan. I worked with [Rahmanullah] Gurbaz, Phil Salt, and Colin Munro in Dubai. These players would stay in touch with me.
I have also not been able to do what I enjoy - developing the players - for the last two years. The players are happy that I have evolved, but there is also an element of sadness that we do not have time for preparation anymore.
Saud Shakeel scored a match-saving 68 against Netherlands in the last ODI World Cup and dedicated his player of the match award to you. How did that feel?
I have been working with Saud Shakeel since 2019 and it was a nice gesture.
I ask players not to take my name in presentation ceremonies. A player works with many coaches during his journey and everyone deserves credit. I did a post about it as well. I work with 20 players and five of them succeed. Not because of me but their motivation.
What I like the most about Saud, Saim and Agha is that they take failures as an opportunity to learn and improve. They stay hungry. Their intention is to perform for the team. Fatima Sana and Muneeba Ali are the same. These players keep their own achievements secondary.
