The T20 World Cup match against the Netherlands was supposed to be an easy victory for Pakistan, but it turned out to be a far tougher contest. While chasing a target of 148 runs, the Pakistani team felt the heat. During this nerve-wracking encounter, Pakistan's star player, Babar Azam, fell short once again, scoring just 15 runs off 18 balls before getting out.
Babar's early dismissal left Pakistan in a tight spot, and the match stretched into the final overs. It was Faheem Ashraf's crucial innings that saved Pakistan from a possible defeat.
Questions on Babar Azam's T20 Prowess
Following this performance, skepticism about Babar Azam's ability in the T20 format has resurfaced. Notably, he was selected for the T20 World Cup squad despite his rather ordinary stats playing for Sydney Sixers in the Big Bash League (BBL).
Former Pakistani cricketer Basit Ali has gone so far as to suggest that Babar Azam might be excluded from the playing eleven against the USA in the next match.
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In a discussion, Basit Ali remarked, "I feel Babar won't play the next match. The anger on Coach Mike Hesson's face was evident... I don't think Babar will be playing at number 4 again." Basit Ali further questioned Babar's superstar image. "Calling him a superstar in Tests or ODIs is acceptable. But in T20s? How is he a superstar? A batsman who moves down to number 4 and fails to inform the management that he doesn't belong at number 4! Is Babar unaware?"
Better T20 Players in the Squad?
Basit Ali claimed Pakistan has superior T20 players than Babar. He mentioned, "In T20, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, and Faheem Ashraf are all better than Babar. Even Sahibzada Farhan and Saim Ayub are superior T20 batsmen. Salman Ali Agha has demonstrated that he's better at number 3 than Babar."
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Citing the Big Bash League, he noted how Steve Smith refused even a single to keep Babar off strike, indicating that his game isn't ideal for T20s.
