3 big reasons why Pakistan should drop Babar Azam from playing 11 in T20 World Cup 2026

Babar Azam is the all-time leading run-scorer in T20Is.

Pakistan are placed in Group A in the T20 World Cup 2026 and will play all of their matches in Sri Lanka. On Saturday, they started the tournament on a winning note by crushing the Netherlands by three wickets.

The Salman Agha & Co. chased down a 148-run target in the clash. Although they faced a mini-batting collapse in the middle order, they eventually reached the target in the final over with Sahibzada Farhan (47) and Faheem Ashraf (29*) playing a crucial role.

Babar Azam is the most experienced batter for the team. He is also the leading run-scorer in T20Is with over 4500 runs. The right-handed batsman recently surpassed Virat Kohli for the record for most half-centuries in the shortest format. However, he has not been able to perform consistently well for a long time.

Although Azam is a prominent batter in their squad, here are the three reasons why Pakistan should drop him from the playing XI in the T20 World Cup 2026.

3. Flop batting show in the opening game

Babar Azam completely struggled to make a mark in the opening game against the Netherlands. He got out for just 15 runs off 18 deliveries, hitting just one boundary. Despite playing against a weaker team like the Netherlands, the 31-year-old struggled to score runs.

2. Dismal batting form since last year

Although he is the all-time leading run-getter in T20Is, Babar has struggled to score runs since the start of 2025. Last year, he played eight games and scored 206 runs, averaging 34.33 with two fifties. In four games in 2026 so far, he has scored 91 runs, including one half-century.

1. Poor strike rate while batting

Strike rate is a very crucial aspect of batting in the shortest format. However, Babar has a poor strike rate while batting. For instance, he held a strike rate of just 114.44 last year across eight games.

This year too, he has batted at a strike rate of 115.18 in four games. Since he bats in the No. 4, this slow batting approach is a liability rather than an asset for the Men-in-Green.

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