Babar Azam’s record in Sri Lanka! How Pakistan legend fares before T20 World Cup 2026

Babar Azam - (Source: X.Com)

Babar Azam, as always, was the talking point when PCB made a surprising decision to announce Pakistan's 15-member squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026 in India and Sri Lanka. The announcement took everyone by surprise because the squad was revealed amid the threats to boycott the prestigious T20 tournament.

Notably, Bangladesh will not take part in the T20 World Cup and have been replaced by Scotland for refusing to travel to India. The Tigers sought support from PCB, which gave assurance and joined hands with the BCB. There were reports that the PCB too is eyeing a boycott of the event.

However, the ICC threatened the PCB with several sanctions, and as a result, Pakistan named their 15-member squad.

Babar Azam makes the cut as PCB pulls plug on veteran players

There was a lot of chatter around a few players' place in the team, including Babar, but the right-handed batter has earned a spot in the 15-member list. Meanwhile, the likes of Haris Rauf and Mohammad Rizwan will miss the T20 World Cup 2026 in India and Sri Lanka.

Pakistan’s squad for the T20 World Cup 2026

Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Mohammad Nafay (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan (wk), Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan (wk) and Usman Tariq

Eyes will be on Babar, because the critics have placed their doubt on the Pakistan ace. Talking about Babar’s T20I numbers in 2025, the right-handed batter has scored just 206 runs in eight innings, averaging 34.33. He also has scored two fifty-plus scores. 

Babar has one last chance to prove his mettle because if he fails in the T20 World Cup 2026, it will be the end of the road for him in the shortest format of the game for Pakistan. Therefore, the Sri Lanka leg is important for Babar, and this article will shed light on Babar’s T20I numbers in Sri Lanka.

How has Babar Azam performed in Sri Lanka

Babar has played 136 T20I matches in his career. The right-handed batter has travelled to 11 countries to feature in T20Is, but Sri Lanka is the only place where the 31-year-old has never played a solitary T20I. 

Azam has played 11 matches against the Island Nation, but four of them have been at a neutral venue, and the rest in Pakistan. Thus, Babar’s upcoming visit to Sri Lanka for the T20 World Cup 2026 will be his first T20I in the Island Nation. 

Nonetheless, Azam still has some experience of playing in Sri Lanka, which is the Lanka Premier League. For the unversed, Babar played eight games for Colombo Strikers, and his performance during those games can be taken to analyse how he has performed in Sri Lanka in the shortest format of the game.

Babar Azam had a great time in Sri Lanka, where he amassed 261 runs in just eight innings, averaging 32.6. Further, Babar batted at a strike-rate of 132.5, which is on a higher side, compared to his criticism for slow batting. 

Further, Babar also had a century and a fifty in the league. Therefore, the fans should be happy and expect a nice tournament for their idol.