During Pakistan’s T20 World Cup clash against the Netherlands, Wasim Akram issued a clear warning on commentary: Babar Azam needed to speed up or risk putting the team under pressure.
On paper, Pakistan were well-placed - 50 runs needed from 53 balls with seven wickets in hand. It should have been straightforward. Instead, the No.4 batter in the team, Babar scored 15 off 18 balls before getting out, and the pressure quickly shifted to the rest of the batting line-up.
Akram’s concerns soon became reality. Pakistan dug a big hole for themselves, needing 29 runs from the final two overs. A late burst from Faheem Ashraf eventually got them over the line.
Babar’s knock at No.4 raised uncomfortable questions. Does Pakistan’s ex-captain still fit into the T20I setup? Beyond a dip in form, is it time for the team management to make a tough call on a player they have long relied on?
Not a No.4 Material
Let’s be clear: Babar Azam is not a No.4 batter. Among all the positions he has batted in T20Is, his average at No.4 is the lowest and his strike rate the second-lowest - numbers that are hard to ignore. This naturally raises the question: can he be moved back into the top three, where he has traditionally performed better?
In Pakistan’s current setup, that isn’t an option. Openers Saim Ayub and Sahibzada Farhan are in excellent form at the top, and there’s no reason to break that partnership. What about No.3? That would mean Salman Agha making way - which seems unlikely. Promoted recently to the position, Agha has firmly owned the position, scoring 309 runs in 10 innings at a strike rate of 167.02, numbers that he had never had in his T20I career before.
The conclusion is straightforward. Babar is not suited to the explosive demands of a T20 No.4 role. Persisting with him in the middle order only hurts the balance of the side. Pakistan may need to accept a tough reality: Babar Azam does not fit into the current T20 playing XI.
Babar Azam at every position in T20Is
| Position | Matches | Innings | Runs | Highest | Average | Strike-rate | 100s | 50s |
| Opening | 87 | 87 | 2973 | 122 | 38.12 | 130.57 | 3 | 25 |
| No.3 | 40 | 40 | 1372 | 86 | 42.87 | 125.64 | 0 | 13 |
| No.4 | 5 | 5 | 134 | 50* | 33.50 | 114.52 | 0 | 1 |
| No.5 | 1 | 1 | 41 | 41 | 41 | 100 | 0 | 0 |
Who Replaces Babar?
If Pakistan decide to drop Babar Azam, the solution is straightforward: bring in Fakhar Zaman. Sitting on the bench, Fakhar offers the firepower Pakistan badly need at No.4. While Babar has struggled in that role, Fakhar has delivered, making him a far better fit for the middle order. He is Pakistan’s fourth-highest run-scorer at No.4, behind Shoaib Malik, Umar Akmal and Mohammad Hafeez.
In 22 T20I matches at No.4, Fakhar has scored 501 runs at an average of 25.05 and a strike rate of 150.45, with three fifties and a top score of 78. Those numbers highlight his biggest strength: intent. His ability to score quickly makes him a more suitable option than Babar in the middle order. Khawaja Nafay is another option, a consistent T20I batter with seven fifties who could add depth.
Pakistan scraped past the Netherlands, but their batting issues were clearly exposed. The solutions are available, but they demand brave calls. Fixing the middle order is not a choice - it is a necessity if Pakistan want to challenge seriously at the T20 World Cup.
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Published By:
Kingshuk Kusari
Published On:
Feb 8, 2026
