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Batters' redundant template, bowlers injured: PAK preparing recipe for disaster in T20 WC

Anurag Dasgupta

Problems for Pakistan before T20 WC [Source: AFP Photo] Problems for Pakistan before T20 WC [Source: AFP Photo]

The T20 World Cup 2026 is just around the corner, and hardly a month is left for the marquee event to commence in India and Sri Lanka. There are 20 teams this time in the World Cup, and they are divided into four groups. While the likes of Australia and India will start as the favourites for the trophy, there is Pakistan lingering, and they can be a dark horse in the competition.

The team has a stable squad heading into the event, and while the official squad is yet to be revealed, by now, we know the 15 names the team will pick for the mega event. Pakistan have played a plethora of T20I matches in 2025, and while the team did well in patches, they lacked consistency, which could hamper them in the World Cup.

Pakistan's major issue heading into the T20 World Cup

The team has several players who lack the cutting-edge, and this has been a trend in the Pakistan team for a while now. The trend - players give a sense of hope before every major tournament, but they failed to deliver when the World Cup arrives. This is the same case with the Men in Green and their is a clear chinks in their batting department before the marquee event.

The batters are giving false hopes to the nation

While the Pakistan bowling attack looks good on paper for the Sri Lankan conditions, their batting department still lacks the quality to deliver in the spin-friendly Sri Lankan tracks. The nation has hyped up the likes of Sahibzada Farhan, Babar Azam, and Saim Ayub, but in reality, the batters are yet to truly deliver when it matters the most. Their numbers from 2025 reveals the entire story.

Batters
Matches
Runs
Strike rate
50s
Babar Azam8206114.442
Sahibzada Farhan26771133.627
Saim Ayub29581129.114
Fakhar Zaman22512127.682
Salman Ali Agha34625115.315

(PAK top 5 batters T20I stats in 2025)

  • The table reveals how the Pakistan batters have performed in T20Is in 2025. This is most likely going to be their top five for the World Cup and none of them gives a positive vibe as the data reveals the insight.
  • Sahibzada Farhan is their best batter in terms of strike rate, but his best is just (133.62), which is considered average in modern-day T20 cricket. The star player, Babar Azam, has average numbers in T20I cricket, and last year, his strike rate was a mere 114.44.
  • Captain Salman Ali Agha’s place in the team has come under scrutiny many times and rightly so. The batter strikes at a mere 115.31, and has the second-worst scoring rate after Babar in 2025 for the team.
  • The same is the case with Fakhar Zaman, who has looked a pale shadow of his former self, and Saim Ayub, who started out with a lot of promise but faded out as he failed to deliver the goods in 2025.

Babar Azam has two fifties in BBL, but they come at a cost

In the ongoing BBL 2025-26 season, Babar Azam is representing the Sydney Sixers, and the batter has racked up two fifties in the tournament. However, the catch is, the Pakistan batter sits at the top of the list in terms of the slowest fifties in the ongoing BBL season.

His two half-centuries came in 42 and 44 balls respectively, and despite getting good batting surfaces, he continues to play at a slower rate. A Pakistan cricket fan might be happy seeing Babar amongst the run-getters, but in reality, those runs have come at a slow pace, and this could be trouble for him and Pakistan in the T20 World Cup.

Other problem areas for Pakistan

The Pakistan bowling lacks the cutting-edge, and it was evident in the Asia Cup 2025. Shaheen Afridi is decent at most in T20Is, while Haris Rauf is known for giving away runs. The other pacers are untested, and the team only has one quality bowler in Abrar Ahmed, who did well in the T20Is in 2025.

Moreover, Shaheen Afridi, their key pacer is out with an injury and there is no timeframe on when he will return in action for the national team.

Conclusion

Pakistan is an unpredictable team in T20Is, but at the same time, they have plenty of problems to address before the World Cup. Despite boasting some quality players, the team has few chinks in its armour, and if the issues are not addressed, we can again witness a group stage exit for the Men in Green.