“T20 Is Not for Him”: Shoaib Akhtar’s Brutal Verdict on Babar Azam Following Average T20 World Cup 2026 Show

Former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar has given a bold statement on Babar Azam’s T20 career. The right-arm bowler has said that Babar is not suited for T20 cricket. 

“First, Babar should have decided that this format is not for him. Secondly, if you want Babar to play, you should ensure he plays in the first six overs itself. It’s very simple. This is no rocket science,” Akhtar said on Game On Hai.

Former Pakistan captain Mohammad Hafeez criticised coach Mike Hesson for playing Babar at number 4. “Our coach, Mike Hesson, gave a statement on Babar Azam, ‘cannot bat in the first six overs since his strike-rate isn’t good enough per the record’, and he said Babar cannot strike it big even after the 10-over mark. Coach is saying we’re playing him at no.4, given him a role. If Babar has to play, then he should bat in the top three. I don’t think he’s suited at no. 4,” Hafeez said.

Hesson had earlier explained the role that the team has given to Babar. “I think he’s well aware that his strike rate in the powerplay in (T20) World Cups is less than 100. So clearly, that’s not a role that we think we need here. We think he’s a fine player through the middle, if required, in terms of if we’re in a little bit of trouble. Or as we saw against the USA, once he gets himself set, he can increase his strike rate at that point. So, we brought Babar back in for a specific role post the Asia Cup. We wanted some batsmanship through the middle, and he certainly brings that for us,” Hesson said.

The right-handed batter hasn’t been in greatest of forms in the recent past. He just scored one fifty in the three-match series against Australia at home ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026. Later, he has had forgettable outings in the World Cup as well. Babar started off the tournament with a 15 against Netherlands followed by 46 against USA and 5 against India. 

He didn’t get to bat against Namibia as the team management promoted Khawaja Nafay and Shadab Khan ahead of him. The Super 8 match against New Zealand was washed out due to rain in Colombo. 

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