Babar Azam for Pakistan (Source: AFP)
Pakistan cricket is currently trying to revive its T20I fortunes with a new team and an aggressive approach. To bring that change in their style, they have made some bold selection decisions, which include dropping their stars Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan.
The move has brought mixed results so far. Pakistan recently won the tri-series in the UAE but failed miserably in the game against a strong Indian unit. They could score just 127 runs in their 20 overs, while against Oman, too, they stuttered a bit with the bat.
Thus, there are some concerns over the quality of the youngsters who are playing for Pakistan currently. The big power-hitting has been missing, and it seems that Pakistan is following the same approach that they did during the presence of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan.
Are Pakistan Missing Their Star Babar Azam On Difficult Batting Pitches In UAE?
However, it is important to consider the fact that the conditions in the UAE have been difficult for batting. The spinners have got a lot of help, and stroke-making has been difficult. So, it has been difficult for the Pakistan batters as well to go for big shots, and conditions demand them to play a bit of old-school type of T20 cricket. So, looking at the conditions, was Babar Azam a better choice for the Asia Cup? Let's find out.
The issue with Babar Azam in T20Is has been his strike rate, but in the current Asia Cup, the strike-rate of 120-130 have been acceptable and is the pace with which Babar Azam used to play. Also, consistency has never been an issue for the right-handed batter, which shows in his excellent batting average in T20Is.
| Criterion | Data |
| Innings | 121 |
| Runs | 4223 |
| Average | 39.8 |
| Strike-Rate | 129.2 |
| 100s/50s | 3/36 |
| Dot Percentage | 31.6 |
Moreover, Babar Azam has a lot of experience playing in the UAE and has done brilliantly there. In 23 matches, he has an average of over 40 and has eight fifties to his name, which shows that he knows how to churn up runs regardless of conditions.
| Criterion | Data |
| Innings | 23 |
| Runs | 763 |
| Average | 40.15 |
| Strike-Rate | 119.40 |
| 100s/50s | 0/8 |
Pakistan Missing A Matured Approach In Asia Cup
Also, the problem with the current Pakistan batting line-up is that most of their batters have only two gears to their game. They are either playing dots or are trying big shots to ease the pressure and keep the scoreboard ticking. However, on the pitches that are not conducive to the strokeplay, one needs to rotate the strike to keep the innings flowing.
Babar Azam is more accomplished at performing the role of milking the bowling than any other player in Pakistan currently. Despite his strike-rate being just under 130, Babar Azam's dot percentage in the shortest format is 31.6, which means that more often than not, he finds a way to keep the scoreboard ticking. In the two venues of Asia Cup 2025, his dot percentage is 32 despite strike-rate going down under 120 which shows that Babar Azam might not hit boundaries, but he deals with singles and doubles quite consistently.
Thus, looking at the way this Asia Cup is turning out, it seems that the teams need players who can adjust to tough batting conditions rather than those who can hit big shots. Thus, it seems that Babar Azảm could have been a good addition for Pakistan as he could have provided solidity to Pakistan on tough batting wickets, and it could have helped them get to middling scores of 150-160, which can be match-winning in the UAE.
However, Pakistan are looking for a long-term change and the players they have selected now might succeed on good batting wickets in future. So, selecting a player for just one tournament after leaving him out was not a logical choice, and though Pakistan might struggle in the Asia Cup, they might do well in future once these young players get more experience.
