The Pakistan No.4 has not been able to add any value to the spot in the tournament so far.
Pakistan are on the cusp of a mighty important clash against hosts Sri Lanka in the T20 World Cup 2026 Super 8s. A victory in the fixture won’t be enough, as there are net run-rate calculations on the line. However, the Shaheens have opted to drop Babar Azam from the playing XI.
The Salman Agha-led side made three changes ahead of their fixture against the Lankans. Along with Babar Azam, Saim Ayub and Salman Mirza received the axe for the crucial fixture. Though Babar Azam’s exclusion makes sense, the left-handed opener not taking the field does come as a surprise.
Pakistan have a task cut-out for themselves in their final Super 8s fixture. They need to win the match by a margin of more than 64 runs, or chase the target inside 13.1 overs to top New Zealand’s run-rate – which will hand them a ticket to the semi-final of the tournament.
In the four innings played so far in the tournament, Babar Azam has scored 91 runs at an average of 22.75, which is not what head coach Mike Hesson would have expected from his No.4. To add to that, his strike-rate stands at 112.34, which is way below expectations in the shortest format.
With the equation that Pakistan have at hand, it only makes sense to drop Babar for the need to accelerate in the middle-overs of the innings. To add to that, the Pakistani stalwart has not shown any signs of promise, and frequently struggles against quality spin bowling.
With Sri Lanka having good spinners in the form of Maheesh Theekshana and Dunith Wellalage, Pakistan have made the right choice by benching Babar Azam ahead of the all-important fixture. Khawaja Nafay has taken his place, whereas Fakhar Zaman has shifted up the order to open the innings alongside Sahibzada Farhan.
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Pakistan: Sahibzada Farhan, Fakhar Zaman, Salman Agha (c), Khawaja Nafay, Usman Khan (wk), Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Abrar Ahmed, Usman Tariq
Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Kamil Mishara (wk), Charith Asalanka, Pavan Rathnayake, Kamindu Mendis, Dasun Shanaka (c), Janith Liyanage, Dunith Wellalage, Maheesh Theekshana, Dushmantha Chameera, Dilshan Madushanka
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