controversies surrounding Babar Azam Refusing to fade away at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. was once known as PakistanBilled as the next great batting superstar, Babar has tried multiple roles in this edition, opening the innings, batting at the top order and even switching to batting in the middle order. So far, none of the initiatives have achieved the desired results.In Pakistan’s loss to the England national cricket team on February 24, Babar once again struggled with his fluency, scoring just over a run. His performance and role prompted new scrutiny.
Before that game, the former England captain Michael Vaughn Praise for head coach Mike Hesson for handling what he described as complex political issues in Pakistan cricket. Vaughan said on Cricbuzz:“I admire overseas coaches who go to Pakistan because I can only imagine what happens,” Warne told Cricbuzz.“But Babar Azam himself, I thought Mike Hesson handled it very well because he obviously had to play Babar Azam and he used him as an insurance policy. You lose two wickets; he’s your insurance. He’s at number four and he can play.”Vaughan feels that Babar’s approach, even though it is considered outdated in the modern T20 game, still has value in Sri Lanka’s situation. He advised other batsmen to adopt a more aggressive approach around him and let Babar dominate the innings.“In Sri Lanka, I think he is absolutely perfect for a wicket because Sri Lanka’s score so far is 150-180 and I think Babar is right in that range. I think he will take Pakistan to 160-170,” the Manchester-born cricketer said.“I do admire Mike Hesson’s performance in politics, which may not give you the best chance of winning the World Cup. But I do feel that on the pitch at Palleke I would have liked to have had a Babar Azam in my team. Of course, because I want a reliable guy who can knock spinners down. If he shoots 125-130, that’s absolutely fine. You need two or three players around you to make a cameo or two, but I want that consistent player in the middle of the innings. I think they’re handling it the right way,” he added.Warne also revealed he had extensive conversations with his former Pakistan head coach Jason GillespieHis Ashes opponent spoke about the challenges of working in Pakistan cricket. Gillespie had earlier accused him of being overly interfering during his tenure. Vaughan admitted he wouldn’t have considered himself in such a role.“I personally would never want to go to Pakistan as an overseas coach. I spoke to Jason Gillespie a lot when I went there. So, it’s difficult. I just think Hesson and the team and the management – I think they’ve handled it perfectly. What they’ve done is absolutely perfect,” he further added.Statistically, Babar’s campaign was unimpressive. In the 2026 tournament, he scored 91 runs in four innings with an average of 22.75 and a strike rate of 112.34. Among the batsmen who scored more than 90 runs in the match, not a single one had a lower strike rate. Only the UAE’s Alishan Sharafu came close with a score of 112.40.During his T20 World Cup career, Babar played 23 matches and scored 640 runs in 21 innings at an average of 33.68 and a strike rate of 111.49. In the history of the competition, no player who has scored more than 500 runs has scored at a lower rate than the former Pakistan captain.
