If anyone thinks that Babar Azam, an otherwise quality and high stakes cricketer has delivered for his Pakistan as well as he would have liked in what is evident in the ongoing T20 World Cup, then perhaps you are living under a rock. In a format of the game that’s about high octane cricket where strike rates matter perhaps just as much as the outcome of the game (which is often times hugely defined by the heroics of the bat), Babar, a great of Pakistan cricket, has not really got going. Well, not with the same intensity and high decibel of scoring as he would have liked. Isn’t it?

And just what has this actually led to? Well, think no further and look no beyond the obvious ahead of such a crucial and “must win” game for his Pakistan.

Ouster from the team itself, what else?

Pakistan team management left Babar out of the XI mainly because he hasn’t been scoring enough runs at the pace expected in this T20 World Cup.  

His recent performances have not made a big impact, and Pakistan need aggressive batting to chase big totals or set a high target.

Reports say his strike-rate and contributions have been below what the team wanted, which led to the decision to drop him for this important game.