Babar Azam Kicked Out: Changes Pakistan Must Make For T20 World Cup Match Vs Sri Lanka

Players Pakistan must drop to win vs Sri Lanka [Source: AFP]

Pakistan had the game in the palm of their hands against England on Tuesday, but the former World Champions showed their winning mentality as a Harry-Brook-inspired performance steered England to the T20 World Cup semifinals berth.

Pakistan will certainly rue the missed chances as Sahibzada Farhan had set the foundation for a big total, but the middle-order batters crumbled in front of England as the Men in Green posted a below-par total.

Moreover, they had England reeling at 58/4, but captain Harry Brook led a stunning assault as he smashed a sensational hundred to hurt Pakistan’s semifinal chances. The Men in Green will now play the do-or-die game against Sri Lanka, and for that crucial match, the team needs to make a couple of changes if they are to win the battle.

Here are the major changes Pakistan must make to beat Sri Lanka and reach the T20 World Cup semis.

Babar Azam dropped for Khawaja Nafay

Eyebrows were raised when Pakistan included Babar Azam in their T20 World Cup squad. Experts believed that he would ruin the team’s combination, and six matches into the tournament, it seems they were right about the former T20I captain.

At the start of T20 World Cup, Babar was demoted to number 4, and against the Namibian side, he was not even used as the batter warmed the bench despite being included in the playing XI. He has failed to deliver the goods, and the stats reveal the story.

(Babar Azam in ongoing World Cup)

• Out of the six matches that Babar has played at this World Cup, he has only batted in four (one match was abandoned, he was unused in another game).
• Out of the four innings, Babar scored just 91 runs, with a strike rate of just 112, which reflects his inability to accelerate in the T20 format.
• His batting performance was also criticised by Mike Hesson in the World Cup, and perhaps time has come for the team to drop him out of the team and replace him with the dynamic Khawaja Nafay.
• Nafay played just one match in the T20 World Cup (against Namibia), but was dropped from the playing XI. However, Pakistan needs an aggressor in the middle-order instead of Babar, and they should pull the trigger by including Nafay in the side.

Also Read: Babar Azam Given Criminal Sentence By Murder Accused

Abrar Ahmed back, struggling Nawaz out

Just one bad game in the tournament (against India), and Abrar Ahmed was shown the exit door by head coach Mike Hesson. Since then, Usman Tariq has been preferred, and rightly so. However, there is a bowler, Abrar should replace for the do-or-die game against Sri Lanka.

Mike Hesson loves having a plethora of all-rounders in the playing XI, but that move has failed in the ongoing World Cup. Mohammad Nawaz has not done anything in the ongoing tournament, and the stats reflect the sorry state of affairs.

(Nawaz in ongoing T20 WC)

• Just 6 wickets on spin-friendly decks, and 15 runs under his belt define Nawaz’s poor T20 World Cup journey. Pakistan already bat deep (with Shaheen at 8), and instead of a player who has not contributed with either bat or ball, Pakistan should include match-winner Abrar Ahmed in the playing XI.
• In six matches against Pakistan’s next opponent (Sri Lanka), Abrar has scalped 9 wickets, with an economy of 5.86. Hence, the team should unleash him against the lankan Lions.

Also Read: England Break India’s Massive T20 World Cup Record, Not Alone At The Top