SL vs PAK: Why did Babar Azam miss Super 8 clash of T20 World Cup 2026?

Babar Azam was part of Pakistan’s XI in all their games of T20 World Cup 2026 but missed SL vs PAK clash.

Pakistan clash against co-hosts Sri Lanka in their final Super 8 match of T20 World Cup 2026. They arrive after a close loss to England in their previous match, after Harry Brook scored a superb ton. However, England’s win out of nowhere against New Zealand has given the Men in Green some hope.

Pakistan can still qualify for the semi-finals but they need a miracle. Captain Dasun Shanaka won the toss and chose to bowl first. Hence the equation now for the Asian side is to restrict their opposition to nearly 65 runs lesser than what they score in the first innings.

This means Pakistan has to score big upfront and then bowl extremely well to have any hopes of making the final four, where they would then likely meet South Africa. Ahead of this must win-big match, Pakistan have announced some big changes.

Pakistan drop Babar Azam for SL vs PAK clash of T20 World Cup 2026

Captain Salman Ali Agha made the big call of dropping senior Pakistan batter Babar Azam in a knockout clash. This decision is a bold one yet understandable given Azam’s slow batting style. Pakistan need to register a massive win, and need hitters who can strike the ball from the word go.

Babar Azam has not enjoyed a great T20 World Cup so far, scoring just 91 runs in the four innings he has played so far, at a poor strike rate of 112.34. Coach Mike Hesson had already stated previously that Azam’s traditional batting approach makes him unfit for powerplay batting, and this exclusion imposes questions on Pakistan’s star batter’s future in the T20I format.

“Yeah, we would have bowled first definitely, but there is no way we can do that while batting. So you just need to put up a good total and try to restrict them. It’s a mix, (knowing the calculations) to be very honest. Sometimes it can be tough and sometimes it’s easy.

You have the freedom to go and just play shots or you know what you need to do. But yeah, it’s a mixed kind of a thing. We’ll just try to play a perfect game and I think the rest will be fine. Yeah, we got three changes. Babar Azam, Saim Ayub, and Salman Mirza are not playing. Naseem Shah, Khawaja Nafay, and Abrar Ahmed are playing”, said Salman after losing the toss.

Khawaja Nafay, who had played just one game against Namibia, replaces Babar. Another big change was the exclusion of opener Saim Ayub, with pace bowler Naseem Shah playing his first match of the competition. Abrar Ahmed too makes his way back into the 11.

Pakistan’s Playing XI vs SL

Sahibzada Farhan, Fakhar Zaman, Salman Agha(c), Khawaja Nafay, Usman Khan(w), Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Abrar Ahmed, Usman Tariq

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