Former India batsman Cheteshwar Pujara has urged the Pakistan Cricket Board to have a frank talk with Babar Azam about his T20 future following Pakistan’s exit from the T20 World Cup 2026 on Saturday.
SL vs PAK, T20 World Cup 2026: Scorecard | Highlighting
Pakistan were eliminated despite beating Sri Lanka by five runs in their last Super 8s match. New Zealand qualified for the semi-finals ahead of them on the basis of superior net run rate.
Invited to bat, Pakistan posted 212 in 8s Sahibzada Farhan stunning century and Fakhar Zaman contributed 84 in a record 176 runs. Pakistan needed to restrict Sri Lanka to 147 or less but Dasun Shanaka’s unbeaten 76 off 31 balls and Pavan Rathnayake’s 58 steered the co-hosts to 207 for 6. Abrar Ahmed took three wickets but it was not enough as Pakistan and New Zealand finished level on three points. England have already secured their place in the semi-finals after winning all three Super 8s matches.
Speaking to Star Sports after Pakistan’s elimination, Pujara pointed directly to Babar’s future as a pressing concern for the management.
“There needs to be an honest conversation with Babar Azam. If he is not in the team’s plans going forward, that message clearly needs to come from the management. He needs to know where he is,” Pujara said.
Babar, who was dropped for the must-win clash in Sri Lanka, managed just 91 runs in six tournament appearances at an average of 22.75 and a strike rate of 112.34.
IT’S NOT JUST ABOUT BABAR
While Babar attracted the most attention, Pujara wanted to focus on the wider failure of the party.
“It would be unfair to put all the blame on Babar. There is a lot of focus on him but at the end of the day it is the unit that has failed. The middle order needs serious attention and that needs to be addressed,” he said.
FAKHAR ZAMAN SHOWS THE WAY FORWARD
Amid the disappointment, Pujara pointed to Fakhar Zaman’s performance as a blueprint for Pakistan’s future in T20 cricket.
“Fakhar Zaman looks really good at the top of the order and sets the tone for this Pakistan side. That’s how Pakistan played their best T20 cricket, fearless and aggressive, going after the bowlers from ball one. That 176-run stand was outstanding and a reminder of what this team is capable of. They’ve done it before and they’ll have to do it again,” he added.
For Pakistan, the recovery process begins now. And if tonight’s performance offered any indication of the direction they should take, having Fakhar Zaman at the top of the order is no longer a question but a necessity.
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Issued by:
Amar Panicker
Published on:
01 March 2026 03:01 IST
