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Wasim Akram Backs Babar Azam's Return In PAK T20I Squad: "If I Had Authority, I Would..."

Anurag Dasgupta

Akram wants Babar in T20Is [Source: @dubai_152/x.com] Akram wants Babar in T20Is [Source: @dubai_152/x.com]

Former Pakistan cricketer Wasim Akram has thrown his weight behind Babar Azam's selection in the T20I squad ahead of the all-important Asia Cup. Ever since Pakistan's shambolic performance in the Champions Trophy, senior players, including Babar Azam have been axed from the T20I format, with youngsters given preference.

Akram's Babar Azam warning to Pakistan

The leading run-getter for Pakistan in T20Is, Babar Azam, last played in the game's shortest format in December 2024, and since then has been out of the team.

Speaking to Cricket Pakistan, Akram said: “If I had the authority, I would definitely include Babar Azam in the national T20 team. 

"The Asia Cup and then the World Cup are approaching, and we need a senior batter. Fans may recall that when he represented Somerset in 2019, he scored runs at nearly a 150 strike rate. He has the ability to adapt his batting according to the situation,” he added.

The former Pakistan captain stressed the importance of an experienced player in a major tournament, especially when chasing 140 or 160 against big teams.

Why was Babar Azam dropped from Pakistan team?

Babar Azam is the second-highest run-getter in T20Is, just behind India's Rohit Sharma. He is Pakistan's highest run-getter in this format, but often his strike rate comes under scrutiny in big matches. His T20I strike rate is just 129.22, and while he has a solid average of 39.83, he tends to slow down, which leads to momentum getting snatched.

Most importantly, Babar had a poor T20 World Cup in 2024, where he was the captain of the team, and Pakistan crashed out of the group stage. His captaincy was taken away, and the selectors eventually decided to try out youngsters in T20Is. However, the experiment has failed as Pakistan has lost 2 of their last 3 T20I series.