Mohammad Yousuf has revealed that he was forced to resign as a Pakistan selector after suggesting that Babar Azam should be rested from T20Is. Babar has often moved in and out of the Pakistan T20I squad over the years, but he has always been included for the T20 World Cups. However, he has struggled to perform consistently in the format, with critics saying his strike rate and technique are not suited for T20 cricket.
In the 2024 T20 World Cup, Babar scored 122 runs in four matches at a strike rate of 101.66, as Pakistan was knocked out in the group stage. In the current edition of the tournament, he has been promoted to the No.4 spot—a position he batted at only once in 2017. So far, he has scored 66 runs in four matches at a strike rate of 115.78 and did not even get to bat against Namibia.
” Babar Azam should retire from T20 and focus on his best ODI foramat “.
Meanwhile, Babar Azam in his best format 🔔🔔🔔 pic.twitter.com/uLocZv8uhE
— Khuzaima. (@Pasli_shot) February 20, 2026
Speaking on the How Does It Work podcast, Yousuf said Babar’s technique has declined. He recalled how suggesting that Babar be rested led to him being forced to leave his role as selector. “I’ve been saying for 2–3 years that Babar’s technique has gone for a toss. People say he is out-of-form, but that’s not the issue. A player can be out-of-form for a couple of series, but he hasn’t scored consistently for the last two to three years. The moment I suggested resting Babar, everyone turned against me. I had to resign. He was eventually dropped a few series later,” Yousuf said.
Mohammad Yousuf took a cheeky dig at Babar Azam after he was denied strike by Steve Smith in the Big Bash League.
— Cricketopia (@CricketopiaCom) February 20, 2026
Before the T20 World Cup, Babar tried to regain form through the Big Bash League, but it didn’t help his case. Yousuf added that people are selling the idea that mindset is the issue, but without the right skill, mindset alone cannot help. “The idea of mindset is being sold very wrongly. Until you have the skill, the mind can’t do anything. If you don’t have the skill, what will your mind do? Inzamam Bhai and Saeed Bhai were on another level—they were big players. Zaheer Abbas too. Babar is not at that level yet,” Yousuf said. Babar’s last T20I century came in 2023. Since then, he has scored 1,086 runs in 39 matches at an average of 32.9 and a strike rate of 127.46.
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