Babar Azam is Pakistan’s Real Enemy at T20 World Cup 2026

The Pakistan National Cricket Team and captain Salman Ali Agha are dealing with a major question, and that is, does Babar Azam still fit in modern T20 cricket ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026? Pakistan will start their campaign against the Netherlands on February 7.

Well, Babar Azam’s selection for the T20 World Cup 2026 has shocked many. Actually, the former Pakistan captain was left out of the Asia Cup 2025 squad because of his struggles against spin and poor scoring rate speed and he was recalled for the prestigious tournament.

Interestingly, those problems have not disappeared, which is why his return for the T20 World Cup 2026 has triggered intense debate. Even inside the team, Salman and the team management are unsure how Babar fits into Pakistan’s aggressive plans.

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Salman Agha Demotes Babar Azam to No. 4

That concern is now visible in a bold decision taken by Captain Salman Ali Agha. For the T20 World Cup 2026, Salman has locked himself in at No. 3, pushing Babar down to No. 4. This change was first tested during Pakistan’s recent home T20I series against Australia.

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The idea behind this reshuffle is simple. Salman is seen as a stronger player against spin and more capable of scoring quickly in the middle overs, especially in subcontinent conditions where slow bowling dominates early phases. That is why he has moved up the order to take control in the middle overs and even during the powerplay if required.

Babar has been nominated to No. 4 to play the role of a stabiliser in case early wickets fall and to handle fast bowling later in the innings. And he will continue batting at this position at the mega event. This move also confirms that Saim Ayub and Sahibzada Farhan are set to open for Pakistan. This move made it clear that Pakistan no longer sees Babar as the main attacking batter at the top.

Pakistan’s To Suffer Because Of Babar Azam’s Low Strike Rate

The biggest worry remains Babar’s slow scoring rate. This issue has followed him everywhere and is now Pakistan’s biggest headache ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026. In the 2025–26 Big Bash League, Babar struggled badly, scoring runs at a slow strike rate close to 103 and averaging just over 22. The problems continued in the recent T20I series against Australia.

The right-handed batter managed only 24 runs in the first match and just two runs in the second. However, in the final game, Babar showed his class with an unbeaten half-century off 36 balls, striking at 138. That innings helped Pakistan register a massive 111-run win and complete a clean 3-0 sweep over Australia.

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Babar Azam To Be Worst Batter In T20 World Cup 2026?

Azam is still Pakistan’s highest run-scorer in T20I cricket with 4,505 runs, but his strike rate of 128.38 continues to raise questions. The situation looks even worse in T20 World Cups, where his strike rate drops to around 112, which is far below what is expected in the modern T20 game.