Babar Azam is bowled out by England’s Jamie Overton throughout Pakistan vs England match within the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 at Pallekele Worldwide Cricket Stadium, Kandy, Sri Lanka on February 24, 2026. — ReutersÂ
Extensively thought to be Pakistan’s star batter, Babar Azam’s struggles within the ongoing ICC Males’s T20 World Cup have as soon as once more sparked debate about his effectiveness within the shortest format, with former cricketers pointing to issues over his strike charge, tempo and skill to adapt.
Pakistan misplaced to two-time champions England within the high-stakes Tremendous Eights match of the ICC Males’s T20 World Cup 2026 on the Pallekele Worldwide Cricket Stadium on Tuesday.
Babar scored simply 25 runs off 24 balls at a strike charge of 104 earlier than being bowled by Jamie Overton.
Latif recalled that staff administration had earlier acknowledged Babar would return as soon as his scoring charge improved. “Where did it improve? Why did you bring him back?” he requested, calling the choice an injustice by the board and training workers.
He additionally criticised Pakistan’s batting tempo, saying fashionable T20 cricket calls for gamers who can shift gears and management the chase. In line with him, when a batter consumes 20–25 balls with out accelerating, stress builds on the opposite finish and forces incoming gamers into dangerous photographs. He added that set batters should take accountability and bat deep when companions wrestle to attain.
Host Tabish Hashmi remarked that the staff had mentioned a plan three years in the past on the right way to dismiss Babar, but he continues to fall in a similar way, elevating questions on whether or not the fault lies with the participant, teaching workers or the system.
Latif in contrast Pakistan’s strategy with opposing batters who preserve scoreboards transferring below stress, noting that profitable gamers “play from both ends” and keep management of the chase. He steered Pakistan’s batters usually fail to shift gears when acceleration is required, permitting stress to mount.
Cricketer Ahmed Shehzad highlighted decision-making through the innings, saying there have been moments when fast singles or doubles may have relieved stress however weren’t taken. He additionally questioned why a participant with greater than a decade of expertise nonetheless struggles to learn high quality leg-spin.
Referring to an incident towards England’s Adil Rashid in Tuesday’s match, Shehzad mentioned Babar almost misplaced his wicket to a googly.
“Is this improvement?” He argued that until gamers settle for their weaknesses and adapt to fashionable T20 calls for, notably power-hitting and risk-taking, enchancment can not occur, calling the dearth of acceptance Babar’s “biggest downfall.”
Quick bowler Mohammad Amir agreed with the evaluation, confirming that Babar failed to choose the variation correctly.
The panel additionally mentioned how delays in acceleration can have an effect on companions on the crease, noting that when one batter slows the scoring charge, the incoming gamers really feel compelled to assault instantly and sometimes lose their wickets within the course of.
The dialogue mirrored rising scrutiny over Babar’s function in Pakistan’s T20 setup, as critics urge better adaptability, smarter strike rotation and stronger intent to match the evolving calls for of recent T20 cricket.
