Babar Azam Launches Revolt Against Pakistan Legends For T20 World Cup Remark

Babar Azam in a press conference for PSL 2026 [Source: PCB]Pakistan’s T20 World Cup 2026 campaign was underwhelming, and the team faced criticism from seniors and experts. Babar Azam, who was a part of the campaign, also met an embarrassing fate as he couldn’t live up to his name. However, Shadab Khan responded strongly to the criticisms from the veterans Shahid Afridi and Mohammad Yousuf. The legends pointed out that Shadab should be dropped from the national team. Now, months after the heated exchange between Pakistan legends and Shadab Khan, Babar Azam has weighed in on the debate, siding with his teammate. Babar Azam Backs Shadab Khan Over PAK Legend Controversy After Shadab Khan was asked to be dropped from the squad, the all-rounder took a massive jab at the veterans by mocking them for not being able to defeat India in a World Cup. “I cannot control criticism. Former cricketers are legends, no doubt, individually they were great, but they could not do it for the team, that is why we are here. We beat India in 2021, which is something even they couldn’t do,” Shadab said earlier. Shadab had a poor campaign in the tournament, scoring 118 runs at an average of 23.60, and with the ball, too, he failed to show promise, taking just 5 wickets from 6 matches. Babar sided with Khan by warning Shahid Afridi and others. “When they speak about things, it's right, but if the current player has said something, it's not right. Anyway, it's a different ball game. Shadab said something in the heat of the moment. Everyone has their own way of speaking,” Babar said on Zalmi TV. Also Read- Babar Azam Opens Up On Pakistan Captaincy Return Amid Stellar PSL RunBabar Calls For Unity Among CricketersHowever, Babar Azam announced a call to bring unity among cricketers rather than division. Citing the impact of social media and urging support, Babar requested positive criticisms from the legends. “But in the end, you are just fighting among yourselves. There should be an effort to support the Pakistan team. Yes, we didn't do well in the T20 World Cup. We know we didn't perform well. But yes, I accept that. But these are the times of social media, you cannot stop anyone,” Babar added. Shadab, Babar Impress In PSL 2026Not impactful in the T20 World Cup 2026, Shadab Khan's PSL 2026 campaign for his team, Islamabad United, was delightful. Although Islamabad had to walk away from the campaign after losing to Hyderabad Kingsmen in Eliminator 2, Shadab Khan was impressive. He scored 173 runs with the bat from 8 innings at an average of 34.60, while having a strike rate of 141.80. With the ball, too, he was massively impactful, scalping 17 wickets in 10 matches while being very economical at 7.03. On the other hand, Pakistan star Babar Azam has also been at his peak T20 form in PSL 2026, leading his side, Peshawar Zalmi, towards the PSL 2026 final against Hyderabad Kingsmen. Babar has scored 588 runs from 10 matches while averaging 84.00 at a strike rate of 146.27. Nevertheless, the woeful World Cup campaign will still be fresh for the national side. Pakistan's Continued Downfall After T20 World Cup 2026The highest scorer for the Men in Green was Sahibzada Farhan, who bagged 383 runs at an average of 76.60, while also having a solid strike rate of 160.25 from his six appearances. Although Shadab Khan was criticised for his bowling impact, he was the second-highest run-getter for Pakistan in the T20 World Cup 2023, followed by Fakhar Zaman and Babar Azam. Regardless, this troublesome campaign continued in the Bangladesh series too, where the Men in Green lost 2-1 in a three-ODI series. They will be looking forward to facing Bangladesh again for a two-match Test series starting from May 8. Also Read- BCCI Set To Bow Down To MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma’s Age Old Complaint?