Shoaib Akhtar calls Babar Azam the villain of his own downfall

Babar Azam has been in terrible form in the ongoing 2026 T20 World Cup. The former Pakistan captain has not scored a fifty in the tournament and has been going through a lean patch, with 46 being his highest, which came against the USA. In four games, Babar Azam has scored 66 runs. He has been criticised for playing slowly and not scoring runs as well.

Babar Azam has an average of 22.00 in the three innings he has batted and a strike rate of 115.78. This showcases his form in the major tournament. He faced immense backlash after he tried to play a poor shot and got out of Axar Patel’s ball during the India vs Pakistan game, leaving the Men in Green more underwater.

Babar Azam is no longer a T20 player

Former Pakistan cricketers and cricket pundits believe that Babar Azam's style of play does not suit the shorter format of the game. The 31-year-old batter has failed to keep up with the modern-day style of playing the T20 game and add more firepower to his game.

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Former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar has lashed out at Babar Azam for his poor form and should have taken a call to end his T20I career and decided that this format is not for him. The former pacer also believes that if the team needs Babar Azam to play in the shorter format, then he must open the innings and bat inside the powerplay.

First of all, Babar should have decided that this format is not my format - Shoaib Akhtar

Shoaib Akhtar said on ‘Game On Hai, “First of all, Babar should have decided that this format is not my format. Secondly, if you wanted Babar to play, you should have ensured he played in the first six overs. It's very simple. There is no rocket science to that.”

Before the game against New Zealand, Pakistan head coach Mike Hesson stated that Babar had been dropped to No.4 due to his poor strike rate in the powerplay. But former Pakistan captain Mohammad Hafeez has disagreed with his statement.

Hafeez believes that Babar cannot play at No.4 and should play either as an opener or a No.3 batter. Hafeez, on the same show, said that Mike Hesson had given a statement about Babar Azam, but he was unable to understand it.

According to him, the coach had stated that Babar was neither a batter who could fully capitalise on the powerplay nor someone who could strike big after the 10-over mark. He added that he had tried his best to make sense of the statement and had listened to it 15 times, but nothing changed.

Pakistan has a potential knockout against England

Pakistan’s first Super 8 game against New Zealand has been washed out on Saturday, as there has been no reserve day for the Super 8 matches, and one point each has been shared by both teams.

Salman Ali Agha’s side will be facing England on Tuesday in their second game. The game against England will be a must-win game for Pakistan after their first match was abandoned without a ball being bowled.

Also Read: Jacob Bethell banned from bowling in T20 World Cup 2026 - RCB to suffer as well?