Babar Azam under radar: 3 Pakistan stars with a point to prove before T20 World Cup 2026

Babar Azam has a point to prove in the upcoming Australia series [Source: X]

Necessity is the mother of all needs, but what will it take for Pakistan to include Babar Azam in the Australia series and the T20 World Cup 2026 following that? There are only a few days left for the mega ICC event, and Pakistan are yet to announce their squad.

As things appear now, BBL-flopped Babar Azam is probably one of the mainstays of the Australia leg as well as the World T20 and he, alongside a few other cricketers, have to prove the point in the Australia series to justify the stature in the prestigious tournament.

Players who need to bounce back in form ahead of T20 World Cup 2026

Pakistan have a lot of trouble to address. From worrying top order form to out-of-form bowlers, if the Men in Green want to get a look at the elusive title after 17 long years, here are some of the players who might need to prove their worth ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026 squad announcement.

1) Babar Azam

The amount of disappointment that is currently piled up on Babar Azam is mammoth. The 100 million Pakistani rupee buy of Sydney Sixers for his maiden Big Bash League debut saw the Pakistan star fall on his face.

202 runs at an average of 22.44 from 11 matches with two half-centuries and one 40+ score to his name. What was even more concerning was his strike rate, which stood at 103, something which is not acceptable for T20I standards.

[Babar Azam recent T20 form]

Babar Azam last played a T20I for the nation back in November 2025, where he was relatively impressive, averaging 31.75 with the bat and scoring 127 runs from five matches, including one half-century.

However, once again, his strike rate of 112.39 poses a big question mark over his role as a T20I opener for Pakistan, especially in an era where players like India’s Abhishek Sharma are clocking strike rates well above 200. Hence, moving forward, Babar Azam will need to prove himself with more firepower at the top of the order.

2) Fakhar Zaman

Fakhar Zaman, a talented Pakistan batter, is also struggling with strike-rate issues. Ever since his dip in form post-2024, Fakhar has played 16 matches at an average of 27.66 while maintaining a healthy strike rate of 152.57.

Earlier in his career, back in 2018, he posted a strike rate of 148.83 while piling up 576 runs from 17 matches. However, in 2025, his strike rate dropped sharply to just 127.68, despite scoring 512 runs from 21 innings.

[Fakhar Zaman recent T20 form]

Fakhar Zaman has continued to struggle with the bat, highlighted by the recent Sri Lanka series, where he managed only five runs before being stumped by Dhananjaya de Silva.

He has also been a moderate scorer in the ILT20 2025–26 league, where his strike rate hovered around 124.40. Pakistan need a solid anchor in the middle order if things go wrong at the top, and Fakhar Zaman can provide stability at the crease. However, in the modern T20 game, the format demands pace more than patience most of the time.

3) Shaheen Afridi

After Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi has also endured a difficult phase. In the BBL 2025–26 season. Playing for Brisbane Heat, Shaheen managed to pick up just two wickets across four matches before being ruled out due to injury.

While he is currently nursing the injury, there is no clear timeline on his return, nor has he been officially ruled out of the Australia series or the T20 World Cup 2026, as he has assured that his recovery is progressing steadily.

However, his recent performances do not reflect that progress. In the Pakistan Tri-Series, he claimed four wickets from two matches, and in the South Africa series, he again took four wickets each, with his economy rate remaining a concern throughout.

[Shaheen Afridi's recent form]

Shaheen Afridi remains one of Pakistan’s frontline pacers, alongside Haris Rauf, who has bounced back into form during his BBL stint. With everything at stake, the left-arm pacer needs to prove his worth with the ball during the upcoming tour of Australia.