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Babar Azam brutally attacked online after crawling at painful 83.33 strike rate vs Netherlands

Published - 07 Feb 2026, 02:12 PM | Updated - 07 Feb 2026, 02:34 PM

Babar Azam Fails Vs Netherlands
PC: X

Babar Azam’s problems against spin bowling continued in a worrying way as Pakistan suffered another setback in their T20 World Cup 2026 opener against the Netherlands in Colombo. Babar Azam yet again failed to deliver when his team needed him the most, leaving Pakistan in serious trouble during the chase against the Netherlands.

Babar Azam’s spin struggles continue at T20 World Cup 2026

Chasing the 148-run target at Sinhalese Sports Club, Babar looked set to steady the innings, but the danger arrived in the form of Netherlands left-arm spinner Roelof van der Merwe. The spinner bowled a slow, well-flighted ball outside the off stump.

Read Also: Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi go un-Pakistani, pull off stunning tag-team catch vs Netherlands in T20 World Cup

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Instead of playing it safely, Babar decided to attack and went down the pitch to hit the ball over the field. The plan backfired badly. The former Pakistan captain misread the flight of the ball and mistimed his shot. The ball went high into the air but did not have enough power.

It floated towards the long-off boundary, where Kyle Klein moved quickly to his right and took an easy catch. It was a huge blow for Pakistan, as they slipped to 100 for 5. Babar walked back after scoring just 15 runs from 18 balls, with only one boundary to his name.

Here's how Roelof van der Merwe traps Babar Azam:

Following another poor performance, Pakistani fans went berserk at Babar. They have been mercilessly slamming the right-handed batter and calling for his removal from the playing XI.

Here's how fans mocked Babar on X:

Babar Azam’s place in Pakistan XI in doubt after flop show

Earlier, Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha already made it clear that they will not think about big names if they don't fit the combination. Salman had said, “Jo best combination hain, hum wohi khilane ki koshish karenge (We will try to play the best combination).”

He added, “Usme agar koi senior players, Fakhar or Babar, fit nahi hote toh hum unko nahi khilayenge (If senior players like Fakhar or Babar don't fit into that combination, we won't play them). Hum wohi khilayenge jo team ke liye best hain (We will play only those who are best for the team).”

Read Also: Jasprit Bumrah’s nemesis Sahibzada Farhan brutally mocked by Paul van Meekeren with bunny-hop celebration

Now, it remains to be seen whether Babar will be retained for the next T20 World Cup 2026 match against the USA on February 10 following his poor performance against the Netherlands.

Pakistan extend 100% T20I record against Netherlands

However, Pakistan managed to maintain a 100% win record against the Netherlands in the T20Is after trashing them by three wickets in Colombo. To date, both teams have faced each other thrice, with Pakistan winning on each occasion—at T20 World Cups in 2009, 2022, and now in 2026.

However, the Netherlands gave a tough fight to the Men in Green in the tournament opener, taking the game to the final ball of the match. They were certainly short of just a few runs to script history.

Rashmi Wasnik
Rashmi Wasnik

Rashmi Wasnik is a passionate content writer with over a decade of experience. She started her journ...

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