The Pakistan management are considering a major change ahead of the match against England in the Super 8s of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026. According to RevSports, head coach Mike Hesson and the support staff are considering replacing former skipper Babar Azam with Khawaja Nafay for the match.
Pakistan are second in the Super Eight standings with one point. They will play England in the fifth match of the Super 8 stage at the Pallekele Stadium on Tuesday, February 24. The upcoming clash is crucial for Pakistan as a win is required to keep their semi-final hopes alive in the tournament.
Pakistan are considering dropping Babar Azam for the must-win match against England
Babar Azam’s place in the team is in serious doubt ahead of the Super Eight match against England in Pallekele. According to RevSportz, Mike Hesson and the support staff are discussing whether to drop Babar Azam and bring in Khawaja Nafay.
No final decision was made Monday, but the team was expected to make a call before the game. If Babar is left out, it could be difficult for him to return to the side.
Babar was reinstated in the T20I squad after the Asia Cup last September. However, management has struggled to find the right role for him during the tournament. They backed the 31-year-old because of his experience and the slow pitches in Sri Lanka, but dropped him to No. 4 in the batting order.
That’s what we needed at the time – Mike Hesson on Babar Azam’s batting degradation
Pakistan has often been criticized for using an outdated style, and the debate became louder after a heavy loss to India. However, during the match against Namibia they showed signs of intent.
Pakistan posted 199/3, but Babar Azam did not bat, as Khawaja Nafay was promoted to number 5. Mike Hesson stated that the decision was based on match conditions. He said it was wiser to avoid hitting two right-handers against each other against left-arm spin.
“No, I wouldn’t say that,” Hesson had said to the press. “Babar was the first to recognize that when the left-arm spin was taking shape and it was turning, sending out two right-handers wasn’t a smart move. Nafay went out and took charge of the game. That’s what we needed at that moment. So no, definitely not a paradigm shift, more about roles.”
Pakistan’s Super 8 opener against New Zealand was canceled due to rain
Pakistan booked their place in the Super 8 stage after finishing second in Group A. Their opening Super 8 match against New Zealand ended without a result on Saturday, February 21 due to persistent rain at the R Premadasa Stadium. Both teams had to share one point each.
Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha won the toss and chose to bat first. The team made one change to the playing XI, bringing Fakhar Zaman into the middle in place of Khawaja Nafay.
However, the rain came shortly after the toss and continued for a long period. With conditions not improving, match officials eventually had to call off the match. Pakistan will now have to win the remaining two matches to stay in the race for the semi-finals.
Also read: Virat Kohli in Sahibzada Farhan’s sights!! Pakistani star breaks silence on chasing King’s record
#Babar #Azam #dropped #Pakistan #major #ahead #inevitable #showdown #England