Pakistan Playing XI Vs New Zealand- T20 World Cup 2026, Super 8- Babar Azam Dropped?

Pakistan playing XI Vs New Zealand [Source: AFP]

The T20 World Cup group stage is over, and now the main business commences as the Super 8 stage of the tournament will take place from Saturday onwards. Pakistan and New Zealand will collide in the first game of the Super 8 at the iconic R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo.

Both sides lost just one game in the group stage, and will be eager to get a confidence-boosting win. Talking about Pakistan, the team crushed Namibia, USA, and barely scraped past the Netherlands in the group stage.

However, against India, their game-plan failed to deliver as the Men in Green suffered a heavy defeat. Despite this, they won three out of four matches, and finished in top two.

The Salman-Agha-led side has plenty of issues to deal with in the Super 8, and there are several non-performing players who could see the exit door for the New Zealand clash. Will the team make changes for the match on Saturday? Here’s Pakistan’s probable XI vs the Kiwis.

Pakistan playing XI Vs New Zealand- Super 8 Match 41

Openers and Top Order: Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Agha

Unlike their bowling, Pakistan’s batters have disappointed, and barring Sahibzada Farhan, who has been outstanding, the others have simply failed in crunch situations. Sahibzada scored a century against Namibia and has been the leading run-getter of the tournament.
On the other hand, Saim Ayub has flopped with the bat, but he delivers with the ball for Pakistan and is their key bowler inside the powerplay. He needs to step up if Pakistan is to win the game against the Kiwis.
Captain Salman Agha, who promoted himself at 3, has been a disaster in the ongoing T20 World Cup, but despite the failures, he is Pakistan’s best bet at 3, and will continue to play at that designated spot.

Middle-order and all-rounders: Babar Azam, Khawaja Nafay, Usman Khan, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf

Pakistan sprung a surprise against Namibia as Babar Azam, their designated number 4 batter, was not sent to bat despite the team losing two wickets. The batter kept waiting, but he was not used by Salman Agha, and Mike Hesson.
However, the batter boasts a brilliant T20I record against New Zealand, and he could be used at number 4, especially if the team loses early wickets.
The rest of their batting lineup could be used as floaters, depending upon the situation. Most likely, Khawaja Nafay will bat at 5, with Usman Khan at 6, Shadab at 7, followed by Nawaz, and Ashraf as Pakistan bat deep in the T20 World Cup.
In the last match, both Nafay, and Shadab were promoted above Babar, and that could be the move if Pakistan get a solid start from their openers.

Also Read: Babar Azam Forced Pakistan Coach To Resign, Serious Allegations Labelled

Bowlers: Salman Mirza, Usman Tariq

In this World Cup, Pakistan has relied on having a batting depth, and the same trend is likely to continue against New Zealand. Shaheen Afridi was used as their front-line pacer for the first three matches, but he was taken to the cleaners in all games.
As a result, he was dropped vs Namibia, and Salman Mirza was used in his place. The left-arm seamer delivered the goods and was economical as well. With a crucial game against the Kiwis, the trend won't change and Mirza will be the lone front-line pacer.
A lot was said about Usman Tariq’s mystery aura before the T20 World Cup, and he has lived up to the hype. The spinner has been effective in all the matches that he has played, and against Naimbia, he plucked 4 for 16 as the opposition failed to read him.
He will once again be used over Abrar Ahmed, and will be the leader of the spin-attack on a Premadasa wicket that will suit the spin-bowlers.

Pakistan playing XI Vs New Zealand- Super 8 Match 41

Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Agha(c), Babar Azam, Usman Khan(w), Khawaja Nafay, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Salman Mirza, Usman Tariq

Also Read: Watch- Babar Azam Caught Making A Mockery Of Himself