The Pakistan No.4 has scored 66 runs in three innings so far in the tournament.
After a jittery start to the group stage of the T20 World Cup 2026, Pakistan have experienced a dampener in their opening clash of the Super 8s. In the midst of all this, former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) star Faf du Plessis has expressed his opinion on Babar Azam and his strike-rate in the format.
The experienced Pakistani batter, as well as Mohammad Rizwan were in and out of the Shaheens’ squad for a considerable period of time, after which the former was drafted back into the scheme of things. That being said, Babar Azam has now been entrusted with the No.4 spot in the tournament.
Former CSK star Faf du Plessis spoke about the evolution of the game, and also mentioned that the strike-rate of a 120 is no longer deemed necessary in the T20 format. To add to that, he also voiced that the reason Babar might have been included in the squad was due to his ability to rotate the strike in the middle-overs, which is important on Sri Lankan soil.
“I think the game of T20 cricket has moved so fast forward towards strike-rates, that he has found himself a little bit behind in terms of strike-rates. So Mike Hesson is trying to fins the best way to introduce him [Babar Azam] into the game. And on spinning pitches in the middle, that is where someone like him is worth his gold,” said former CSK star Faf du Plessis.
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For a long time now, Babar Azam and strike-rate are words that are being used in the same sentence. And it is not for the good. The 31-year-old has been at the receiving end of some criticism lately, and also couldn’t get off to great starts in the Big Bash League (BBL) 2025-26.
His strike-rate in T20I cricket stands at a mere 128.18, which is not enough in today’s day and age, when the game has progressed far too ahead in terms of the way teams are approaching it. However, it seems as of Babar Azam has not been able to keep up with that pace.
“When you come to flat wickets, those kind of roles these days are not as important anymore. But on tricky surfaces, there is a role for someone to play in the 120-130 strike-rate. So I can imagine, he almost looked at how can I maximise the best out of Babar Azam,’ said the former CSK batter.
Ahead of the commencement of the Super 8s, Pakistan head coach Mike Hesson had mentioned the reason behind Babar finding his way back into the scheme of things. He had stated that he adds a lot of stability to the setup, especially on tricky wickets – like the ones in Sri Lanka.
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