Former South Africa captain Faf du Plessis gave a clear opinion on Babar Azam and his performance in T20 cricket. He said that the T20 format has changed a lot in recent years, with teams focusing more on high strike rates and fast scoring. According to him, because the game has become more aggressive, Babar Azam has fallen slightly behind compared to other players when it comes to strike rate in the shortest format. Faf also suggests Babar have an honest conversation with the head coach, Mike Hasan.
Babar Azam has scored a total of 66 runs in 5 matches with an average of 22.00 and a strike rate of 115.81 in the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2026. This place has been massively questioned by the fans in this tournament, as he has yet to make an impact with his bat.
Faf du Plessis on Babar Azam: Pakistan star ‘a little bit behind’ in T20 World Cup
On ESPNcricinfo's TimeOut show, Faf du Plessis said, “We have known Babar as one of the world’s best players for a very long time. I think the game of T20 cricket has moved so fast forward into strike rates that he’s found himself a little bit behind in terms of strike rates.”
“If you’re Mike Hesson, you’re trying to find the best way to introduce him into the game. On tricky surfaces, there is a role for someone to play in the 120-130 strike rate. Hesson would have thought, ‘How can I get the best out of Babar Azam?’ The game has moved too far forward to be at 120-130. Now, you need to be 160 to 190 to 200-plus for you to maximize that first six,” he added.
he former South Africa captain has strongly suggested Babar Azam have an honest conversation with the head coach, Mike Hasan. He believed that Babar has the ability to play this format, but he has to accept his flaws and make necessary changes to his game.
In an honest conversation, Faf said, “It starts with honesty. That’s the groundwork of any conversation that happens. Once you’re honest in your conversation as a coach, everything flows from that; whereas if you are hopping around and not telling the truth as a coach or a captain, it leads to holes a player can jump into. So the nature of the conversation is always really important. For a coach, it’s like, ‘Listen, these are the numbers. The numbers are suggesting this … Once the stats are in front of a player, it’s pretty difficult to go, "I'm not agreeing with you."
“Growth happens when you’re uncomfortable. The challenge with that is that what you then go through is uncomfortable. Because now you’re doing something for the first time that you’ve never done in your entire career. I had to do that against spin. But it’s very easy on the net because there’s no consequence. I went to the Hundred, tried to replicate what I did in the nets, and failed. And the guy on my shoulder said, ‘Why are you doing this? You're successful.' But the other guy goes, "Stick with it," he added.
Pakistan is set to play England in their second Super 8 match of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 on Tuesday, 24 February, at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Balangolla. This is going to be a crucial game for Babar Azam.
Also Read | IND vs ZIM: Sikandar Raza makes a BOLD statement on team India ahead of their game on 26 February in Chennai
