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Umar Akmal (L) and Babar Azam (R) (Source: X/AFP)
Sidelined Pakistan batter Umar Akmal has once again caught the eyeballs, for roasting star Pakistan batter Babar Azam, for his failure in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026. Notably, Babar Azam has been struggling through a miserable run of form and a poor strike rate in the tournament’s current edition.
Prior to Umar Akmal trolling him, Babar Azam had already been on the receiving end of harsh, all-around criticism from former Pakistani cricketers, experts and the fans. His batting abilities at the highest level of the game have been questioned due to his poor strike rate and lack of intent to accelerate the innings.
The criticism went to a bit next level after Pakistan lost to England by two wickets in the Super-8 game and fell on the brink of exit from the T20 World Cup 2026.
Umar Akmal hits Babar Azam with harsh reality check
Amidst all this, Umar Akmal, who has almost been forgotten by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), recently came up with a reality check and a clear message to Babar and the current team management.
Taking to his Instagram story, Umar shared a picture, displaying his 94-run knock against Australia in the T20 World Cup 2014 in Bangladesh. For the unversed, it was the 16th game of the 2014 edition, which featured Pakistan taking on Australia.
Also Read: Babar Azam Kicked Out: Changes Pakistan Must Make For T20 World Cup Match Vs Sri Lanka
He shared this Instagram story with special reference to Babar’s sluggish knock of 25 off 24 balls, when Pakistan had lost two wickets at 37 runs in the must-win Super-8 match against England, in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026.
He targeted Babar Azam’s inability to take the team out of crisis, while batting at number four, one of the most crucial positions in the middle-order.
Apart from Instagram, Umar Akmal also shared a video tweet, showcasing his net practice just a day after Babar Azam's failure in the Super-8 game against Pakistan.
"Just hard work, and focus. I’m grinding in silence and coming back stronger to rewrite my story," wrote Umar Akmal in his video tweet, alongside categorically mentioning the Pakistan Cricket Board.
Umar Akmal’s knock that rescued Pakistan against Australia in T20 World Cup 2014
Speaking of the 94-run knock in the T20 World Cup 2014, mentioned by Umar in his Instagram story, it came when Pakistan fell into deep trouble against Australia. They had lost their their first two wickets at just 25 runs in 4.2 overs.
Following that, Umar Akmal arrived in the middle to bat at number four. He smashed a brilliant knock of 94 runs off just 54 balls, hitting nine fours and four sixes, with an impressive strike rate of 174.07.
He also stitched a match-winning partnership of 96 runs with his brother and opener, Kamran Akmal (31). Eventually, Pakistan defeated Australia by 16 runs, defending the target successfully. Umar Akmal won the 'Player of the Match' award for his match-winning knock.
Is Babar a burden in T20Is: Numbers narrate the story
Dissecting whether the criticism on Babar is fair or unfair, the numbers tell a story that ends all the confusion about his place in the T20I team. Since his T20I debut on September 7, 2016, he has been part of the most of Pakistan's defeats.
He has been a part of Pakistan’s losing side in 51 games since the start of his T20I career in 2016. The 31-year-old is followed by all-rounder Shadab Khan (42) by a difference of nine games. Besides that, he has been the team's captain in 29 out of the 51 defeats.
Overall in these lost 51 games, Babar Azam has scored 1451 runs in these 51 innings, with a ‘below-par’ average of 29.02 and a strike rate of 124.65. Speaking of his batting numbers as captain in the games Pakistan lost, he has scored 778 runs in 29 innings at an average of just 27.78 and a strike rate of 119.14.
Players to be a part of most defeats for Pakistan in T20Is since Babar Azam’s debut:
| Players | Part of Matches Pakistan Lost |
| Babar Azam | 51 |
| Shadab Khan | 42 |
| Shaheen Afridi | 41 |
| Mohammad Rizwan | 39 |
| Fakhar Zaman | 38 |
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