Asia Cup: Will Babar Azam make comeback to T20I team?
What's the story
Pakistan's explosive batsman, Fakhar Zaman, is doubtful for the upcoming T20 Asia Cup due to fitness issues. According to reports in Pakistan media, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has asked him to complete his rehabilitation at Lahore's National Cricket Academy. There are chances that he might not be fit in time for the tournament. In light of this situation, Babar Azam is being considered as a possible replacement in the T20I squad.
Career stats
Babar's T20I numbers
Babar is Pakistan's leading run-scorer in T20Is, with 4,223 runs in 128 matches at an average of 39.8. He has scored three centuries and 36 fifties during his career. However, his performances in the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup and bilateral series against Australia and South Africa were disappointing, which led to his exclusion from the shortest format of the game last year.
Comeback conditions
Babar's ODI form will be closely monitored
Despite his T20I exclusion, Babar remains active in the ODI format. His performance in the upcoming three-match ODI series against West Indies will be crucial for a possible return to Pakistan's Asia Cup squad. If he performs well, it could pave the way for his re-entry into the T20I setup as a replacement for Zaman.
Information
Strike rate was an issue for Babar
Though Babar is the 2nd-highest scorer in T20Is after India's Rohit Sharma, his strike rate of 129.22 is deemed as an issue. Pakistan's white-ball coach Mike Hesson had also pointed out the same in an interaction last month. "There's a good reason why our ranking in T20 cricket is as low as it is, because our strike rates from a batting point of view are not high enough," said Hesson as per ICC.