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Babar Azam Out Of T20I Team? Pakistan Has 3 Reasons To Drop Star Batter For Australia Series

Debashis Sarangi

Babar Azam hasn't had a great time with the bat in 2024 [Source: @Im_MaazKhan/X]Babar Azam hasn't had a great time with the bat in 2024 [Source: @Im_MaazKhan/X]

Pakistan had a disastrous outing in the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean and United States, suffering a group-stage exit from the tournament. Led by Babar Azam, the Men in Green incurred an unexpected defeat against the co-hosts USA, before arch-rivals India pipped them by a narrow margin, adding salt to their injuries. The Australia series will be a big test for Pakistan as they aim to change their T20I fortunes. 

In such a scenario, Pakistan might consider picking several fresh faces and excluding some notable names, including Babar Azam, from their T20I squad for the Australia series. The talismanic batter has already lost his place in the Test side, and here are three reasons why he might get dropped from Pakistan's T20I scheme of things. 

Babar Azam's Technical Limitations

Babar Azam has been horribly out of touch with the bat in 2024. The right-handed batter is no longer the backbone of Pakistan's batting unit, amassing only 808 runs at an abysmal average of 32.32 this year. His technical flaws have been a primary reason for his downfall, with the fast bowlers exploiting his vulnerability around the off stump. 

The Australian pacers, particularly Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood, are experts in challenging the batters around the corridor of uncertainty. Therefore, Pakistan wouldn't want an under-confident Babar Azam to face Australia's formidable pace trio, as it can bring disastrous results for them in the series. 

Babar Azam's Outdated Batting Approach In T20Is

Despite being fairly consistent with the bat, Babar Azam has serious issues with increasing his scoring rate in T20 Internationals. There's no doubt about his class, but his tendency to take ample time before taking off has proved costly for Pakistan in the shortest format. 

Statistically, Babar Azam has a strike rate of 129.09, much less than the accepted figure for the anchors in modern-day T20Is. So, it's high time Pakistan should start searching for an alternative and replace him with a more dynamic option. 

Ample Replacement Options

There was a time when Babar Azam used to be Pakistan's leading batter across formats. However, as he has sustained a prolonged rough patch, the Men in Green should look at his alternatives before selecting the squad for the Australia T20Is. 

Several young players, particularly Omair Yousuf and Mohammad Haris, have performed brilliantly in the Emerging Asia Cup. Promising all-rounder Qasim Akram is also an option, as his multidimensional ability might be handy for the visitors on Australian soil. 

In another move, Pakistan might bring someone like Arafat Minhas to bolster their middle-order batting, as they have Usman Khan, Saim Ayub and potential skipper Mohammad Rizwan spearhead the top-order. As there isn't a shortage of quality options, Babar might lose his place, with a more impactful batter replacing him in the setup.