Pakistan’s Azam Babar (AP Photo/En of Jairanna). The debate surrounding Babar Azam’s place in Pakistan’s T20I setup shows no sign of easing. The former captain came under heavy criticism after a disappointing outing against the Netherlands in Pakistan’s Group A World T20 Cup opener in Colombo on Saturday. Babar’s stay at the crease was brief and ineffective. When he came in after the dismissal of Salman Ali Agha, he struggled to turn the strike around and managed just 15 runs from 18 deliveries, slowing Pakistan’s pace at a crucial stage. His poor shot selection proved costly and allowed the Netherlands to claw their way back into the contest. In the end, Pakistan escaped with victory largely thanks to Faheem Ashraf’s late counter-attack of 29 off 11 balls. If it weren’t for that, the match could have slipped away.
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Former Pakistan batsman Basit Ali was scathing in his assessment and suggested that Babar might even be dropped for the next match against USA. On ‘Game Plan’, Ali claimed that head coach Mike Hesson was visibly unhappy with Babar’s dismissal. “I have a feeling that Babar will not play in Pakistan’s next match. The anger I saw on coach Mike Hesson’s face… I don’t think he will play against Babar at No.4 again in the next match,” Ali said. Babar’s dismissal came when he tried to bowl by throwing himself onto the track. The ball flew enticingly but mistimed his lofted drive and was comfortably caught at long on. Ali further questioned Babar’s suitability for the T20 format, arguing that his reputation does not translate into impact cricket. He pointed to the 31-year-old’s Big Bash League games with the Sydney Sixers ahead of the World Cup as further evidence. During the match against Sydney Thunder, Babar was denied a single last ball through Steve Smith, who was trying to maximize the Power Surge. The incident sparked controversy when Babar reacted angrily by hitting the boundary rope with his bat after being dismissed. “If you call Babar Azam a superstar in ODIs or Tests, I might still agree. But in T20Is? Kahaan se superstar hai? (How is he a superstar?) A batsman who falls from his usual batting position and comes to bat at No. 4 and can’t even tell the management that he’s not a No. 4 batsman! Doesn’t Babar know that?” said Basit. “Even a club cricketer will tell you that in T20S, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, they are all better players than Babar in the format! Sahibzada Farhan and Saim Ayub are also better T20 players than Babar. Even Salman Ali Agha showed that he is a better player in Ba3 Babar in Big Smith than A3 Babar No. Bash League, people still didn’t wise up, he dismissed a single only to prevent Babar on strike,” he added. Notably, even before the start of the tournament, Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha made it clear that reputation does not guarantee selection and stated that the team management will not hesitate to drop Babar Azam if he does not fit into the required team combination.
