Babar Azam crowned Pakistan's No.1 cricketer after T20 World Cup 2026 horror show

Pakistani batter Ahmed Shehzad has pointed out the importance of veteran batter Babar Azam in the Pakistan ODI team. He believes that Pakistan will need Baba Azam, their most experienced and premier batter, to win against Bangladesh on their tour.

Pakistan struggled with Babar Azam's poor form in the ICC T20 World Cup. They failed to fit him into the playing XI, as he was not only failing to convert his starts but also struggling with a very low strike rate.

After being knocked out of the competition, Pakistan have been eager to make changes to their squad. These changes might include the snubbing of Babar Azam from the Pakistani squad.

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Ahmed Shehzad advises PCB to begin World Cup preparations

Pakistan have had a very bad result in the ICC tournaments over the past two years. They have failed to qualify for the ICC semi-finals on four consecutive occasions over the past four years, which includes a 50-over World Cup, two T20 World Cups, and an ICC Champions Trophy.

One of the major flaws for Pakistan throughout these tournaments have been their poor batting standards. They have failed at chasing totals and have also not been able to score sufficient runs for their bowlers to fight for. To overcome these things, the Pakistan team should make the changes needed from now on so that they can form a suitable side until 2027, as per Ahmed Shehzad's opinion.

"If you want to prepare for 2027, you should start preparing for the One-Days from now onwards," said Shehzad, agreeing with the show host.

Ahmed Shehzad said, “If you don’t take Babar Azam in ODIs, how will you win? He is your number one player, and without Babar Azam, it won’t be easy for Pakistan to win.”

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— Maaz (@IsThatMaaz) March 3, 2026

Ahmed Shehzad explains why Babar Azam should be on the tour to Bangladesh

Pakistan should not consider dropping Babar Azam from the ODI squad ahead of their upcoming tour to Bangladesh. He is still their number 1 batter in the format and has an immense impact on them winning such games, as per Ahmed Shehzad's opinion.

"Speaking of Babar Azam, we should not degrade him so much. Not everything that went wrong was Babar's fault. You should not be throwing him out of the ODI side as well, like the T20s. Let him play in the ODIs," opined Shehzad.

"Don't you want to win against Bangladesh? If Babar Azam won't go for the tour, how will you win? He is your number 1 player in One-Days; he has scored the most runs as well. They are a strong team; they will challenge you."

"So, Babar Azam should be on this tour by all means. He does not have form on the first hand, and since he has not played One-Days for a long time, if he plays it, his muscle memory would be revived," Shehzad pens down reasons for Babar Azam's retention in the side.

"They (Bangladesh) will give you tough playing conditions and will make sure that Pakistan crumbles" - Ahmed Shehzad

The former Pakistan batter is a bit terrified about Pakistan losing against Bangladesh if they do not have Azam on their side. He feels his experience is what they would largely need under the challenging conditions in Bangladesh.

"They (Bangladesh) will give you tough playing conditions and will make sure that Pakistan crumbles. That is when they would need experience; they would need players who can carry one end during the middle overs. For that, we need players who have previously performed in Bangladesh," he stated.

"We cannot afford to lose to Bangladesh; this should be kept in mind. So, from every aspect, I support Amir; instead of reprimanding Babar Azam alone and sending him to domestics, we should send him to One-dayers and let him prepare for that. Let him play the One-Days and go to Bangladesh," Shehzad agreed and pleaded to the PCB for retaining Babar Azam's spot in the XI.

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