T20I Omission Followed by National T20 Cup Failure: Babar Azam Continues Struggling for Form

Pakistani batter Babar Azam was dismissed on a low score in the National T20 Cup fixture between Karachi Region Whites and Lahore Region Blues in Lahore. He came to open the innings but couldn’t make a big impression during the chase.

Babar could only assemble 22 runs in 17 deliveries, comprising three boundaries, at a 129.41 strike rate. He would have liked to convert this start into a big score, but Danish Aziz cut his innings short before he could get going.

His timely wicket ensured Lahore Region Blues restricted the opponent to only 134 and won the contest by 37 runs. It’s worth noting that Babar was omitted from the national team for the T20I series against New Zealand, and he has a point to prove in the shortest format.

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However, these low scores won’t help the ace Pakistani batter, who has endured a lean patch lately. Babar must dominate bowlers in the domestic arena and score briskly to find a spot in the T20I side again after being shown his flaws.

Why was Babar Azam dropped from the New Zealand series?

The biggest reason for dropping Babar Azam from the New Zealand series was his outdated batting approach in T20s. Despite being on the receiving end of his slow batting numerous times, he didn’t change his method and kept playing at a slow strike rate when other teams adopted a gung-ho approach.

Pakistan lost several matches due to Babar’s slow batting, who couldn’t accelerate in time and left his team behind, including in the T20 World Cup 2024. Hence, Pakistan decided to move on from him and give chances to fresh players, asking them to bat with more intent.

The results haven’t been as expected, but Pakistan must show patience with these new faces. They have given a long run to Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, and these players deserve at least some matches to prove themselves.

The only way for Babar to regain his spot in the national side is by batting with high intent and utilising the powerplay overs. If he keeps scoring runs at a low strike rate, that consistency is worth nothing, as seen in the last few years.

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