Babar Azam Dropped, Sarfaraz To Coach And Finn Allen 100- March 4 Cricket Highlights

Babar Azam and Finn Allen [Source: X]

Babar Azam has been dropped from the Pakistan squad for the upcoming away ODI series against Bangladesh. Sarfaraz Ahmed will likely be named Pakistan’s next Test head coach. In other news, Finn Allen slapped a record 33-ball century for New Zealand against South Africa in the semifinal of the 2026 T20 World Cup.

Capping an eventful day in the world of cricket, here we take a look at five of the biggest cricketing news that emerged out of Wednesday, March 4.

Sarfaraz Ahmed named Pakistan new Test coach

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) will reportedly appoint former captain Sarfaraz Ahmed as new head coach of the national Test side. It is worth noting that Pakistan’s Test coach spot has been left vacant since October 2025 last year. Former all-rounder Azhar Mahmood briefly served as Test coach on an interim basis.

Also Read- Pakistan's Mystery Spinner Mocks Mohsin Naqvi's PCB For ODI Snub Against Bangladesh

As reported by Geo Super, the PCB will likely be making an official announcement regarding Sarfaraz Ahmed soon. If the former cricketer is named coach, his first assignment will be to helm the national side in the upcoming three-match tour of England in August later this year.

Babar Azam dropped as Pakistan name squad for Bangladesh ODIs

The PCB named a 15-player Pakistan squad for the upcoming three-match ODI tour of Bangladesh next week. In a major development, the board dropped legendary batter Babar Azam as well as blistering top-order star Saim Ayub from the national squad.

Shaheen Afridi will continue to lead the team, and he will be accompanied by T20I skipper Salman Agha and seasoned wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan in the team. The selection committee also named six uncapped ODI stars in the squad in the form of Maaz Sadaqat, Abdul Samad, Muhammad Ghazi Ghori, Saad Masood, Sahibzada Farhan and Shamyl Hussain.

T20 World Cup 2026 fetches record viewership

ICC Chairman Jay Shah has announced a record-breaking claim for the ongoing 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka. Taking to X, the cricket administrator stated that the tournament has already crossed 500 million views in the country, the highest ever for any single T20 World Cup event in history.

With the impending India vs England semi-final match as well as the subsequent final, the viewership of the 2026 T20 World Cup is expected to reach even greater heights in the coming days.

Sahibzada Farhan challenges Abhishek Sharma in T20I rankings

Pakistan opener Sahibzada Farhan leapfrogged England’s Phil Salt to jump to number second spot on the latest ICC T20I rankings for men’s batters. On a trail of a prolific T20 World Cup 2026 with the bat, the cricketer has reached 848 rating points. As of now, Farhan is just 26 points behind number one ranked Indian opening batter Abhishek Sharma on the list.

The Pakistani run machine concluded his T20 World Cup campaign with 383 runs in just six innings at a prolific batting average of 76.60, plundering two tons and two fifties in the process.

Finn Allen’s 33-ball 100* takes NZ to final

Finn Allen blasted a 33-ball unbeaten century against South Africa in the semi-final to storm New Zealand into the final of the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. Chasing 170 for a win, the hard-hitting opener shared a blistering 117-run partnership with half-centurion Tim Seifert in just 9.1 overs.

While Seifert smeared 58 off 33 balls, Allen launched eight sixes and 10 fours in his 33-ball ton to record the fastest-ever century in the history of the T20 World Cup. His innings also helped New Zealand wallop South Africa by nine wickets in just 12.5 overs.

Also Read- How India’s Death Bowling Woes Could Cost Them T20 World Cup Semi-Final Vs England