Babar Azam has scored 66 runs across three innings in the T20 World Cup 2026.
Victories in three games out of four has placed Pakistan in the Super 8s of the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026. Though it has been a smooth ride apart from one lost game, the Shaheens have some issues to sort with their batting. To add to that, head coach Mike Hesson cleared the air on a video which went viral between himself and skipper Salman Agha.
In Pakistan’s recent clash against Namibia, a video emerged from the dugout in which Mike Hesson was having a conversation with Salman Agha. From the outset, it looked like a very heated argument. But the head coach has put all rumours to silence, stating that it was just a normal discussion over the batting order.
The Men in Green did not send Babar Azam out to bat at No.4 in the game against Namibia, due to reasons surrounding his strike-rate – which Mike Hesson also spoke about. However, he clearly stated that Salman Agha banging the bottle on the ground had nothing to do with an argument.
“I got sent that video, and you guys have got that completely wrong. I was going over to talk to Salman [Agha] about getting [Mohammad] Nawaz to put the pads on as a left-hander. Agha was upset about getting out and threw his bottle on the ground. It had nothing to do with our conversation,” stated the Pakistan head coach.
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It is no secret that both Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan had been in and out of the Pakistan squad for sometime. Babar made it to the squad for the tournament, which Rizwan was axed when the squad was announced. However, Hesson made it clear that the management roped in Babar for a particular role.
The Pakistani batter’s strike-rate has always been a point of concern in the shortest format. To take it a notch further, his stint with the Sydney Siders in the Big Bash League (BBL) 2025-26 wasn’t great either in terms of his striking abilities. That being said, Hesson orated that Pakistan have banked on him to add stability to the middle-order.
“We think he’s a fine player through the middle if required, especially if we’re in a bit of trouble. As we saw against the USA, once he gets set, he can increase his strike-rate. We brought Babar back in for a specific role post the Asia Cup. We wanted some batsmanship through the middle, and he brings that for us,” said Hesson in a press conference.
This is one of the reasons, why Babar Azam has been batting lower than usual in the T20 World Cup 2026. In three innings so far, the 31-year-old has registered scores of 15, 46 and 5 respectively. The Pakistan side will want a lot more out of him in order to go a long way in the tournament.
Pakistan will face England, Sri Lanka and New Zealand in their Super 8s, and all of these matches will be played on Sri Lankan soil. They will require victory in at least two out of the three matches to secure a demi-final berth, which won’t be that easy.
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