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Babar Azams returns to T20 World Cup His stage sparked a massive debate due to his poor performance of 15 off 18 balls. Pakistan beat Netherlands in first match in tense atmosphere February 7th. While Pakistan narrowly avoided a historic comeback, the Faheem AshrafWith his explosive back-order batting, Babar’s inability to rotate at No. 4 or find boundaries has left fans and pundits questioning his suitability in the modern T20 set-up. As Pakistan prepares for crucial second match against Pakistan USA The pressure on Babar reached a boiling point on February 10, with Shastri laying out a blunt “intentions first” roadmap to help the superstar find his rhythm again ahead of the tournament.
Ravi Shastri issues direct challenge to Babar Azam ahead of PAK’s 2026 T20 World Cup match against USA
Ravi Shastri Babar believes there is an internal battle going on for his reputation and not the bowlers. Speaking to ICC Review, Shastri analyzed Babar’s current slump as a by-product of his seniority, saying: “When you’re at this stage of your career, you carry baggage. There are heavy expectations. People expect you to go out and deliver.”
To solve the problem, Shastri’s advice was direct and almost reckless: “Go out, in your first five balls, I don’t care if you go out or not, but I want you to work on hitting a few boundaries. Pick your spots, get into good positions, anticipate what the bowler is going to do. You’ll feel a lot better and things may change.” By encouraging Babar to sacrifice his wickets in search of early attack, Shastri hopes the batsman can “break the mental shackles that have led to his “sluggish” strike rate of late.
T20 World Cup 2026: Shastri to Babar’s warning about time
Apart from the mental aspect, Shastri also emphasized that the modern T20 game, especially the mid-to-late stages in which Babar is now running, does not allow for an “adaptation” period at all. He warned that while Babar has the ability to recover, time is a luxury Pakistan cannot afford: “He’s a good player. We know he has the experience to adjust quickly, but he has to do it quickly because midfield is a very critical period of the game. “
Shastri pointed out that in a game of this magnitude, any loss of momentum in overs 7-15 could be fatal, adding: “In T20 cricket, you can’t give it that much time unless the conditions are really in favor of the bowler.” With critics already suggesting that his position is under threat, Shastri concluded, giving the former captain a harsh reality check: “There will be questions being asked.” The upcoming match against the United States in Colombo is now widely seen as Babar’s make-or-break moment to prove he can still match the scoring rate of the world’s elite.
Also read: T20 World Cup 2026: Donald Trump sends morale-boosting message to Team USA after India’s defeat
