Virat Kohli Babar Azam. Image Credits: X
Babar Azam soared back into form with an electrifying knock against USA in match number 12 of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. On a trail of some underwhelming outings and strike rate concerns in T20 cricket, the legendary batter whacked 46 runs off just 32 balls with four boundaries and a six as Pakistan decimated USA by 32 runs in Colombo.
Babar Azam’s counterattacking knock against USA even seemingly stunned India’s official regional commentators for the showpiece event, with the nation’s Bhojpuri commentators trolling the cricketer amidst his exceptional hitting.
Commentators cannot believe Babar Azam hit a six, ask cameraman to zoom in
Babar Azam struck an enterprising 46 from 32 balls against USA at the SSC Ground in Colombo on February 10. The seasoned pro clattered four elegant boundaries and a huge six, and shared a match-defining 81-run partnership with half-centurion Sahibzada Farhan as Pakistan mounted 190-9 in 20 overs.
As it turned out, the lone six he hit off USA spinner Harmeet Singh in the 13th over of the match even seemingly stunned India’s on-air Bhojpuri commentators at the time. The two commentators hilariously trolled the Pakistani legend, as they jokingly asked the cameraman to focus closely on the batter in a bid to confirm if he was really Babar Azam.
Babar Azam’s recent struggles in T20 cricket
To some extent, the mockery of Babar Azam from Indian commentators can be justified considering the cricketer’s recent struggles in T20 format.
In the recently-concluded BBL 2025-26 season in Australia, the legendary Pakistani batter aggregated just 202 runs in 11 innings of the tournament at a dismal average of 22.44 and an underwhelming strike rate of 103.06.
While Babar Azam listed a match-winning fifty in Pakistan’s home series against Australia in January, his overall strike rate of 124.59 fell well below the expected standard.
Pakistan makes it two in two in 2026 T20 World Cup
Pakistan batted first and charted 190-9 in 20 overs. Opening batter Sahibzada Farhan punched out 73 from 41 balls in his top-scoring act with six fours and five sixes. Apart from Babar Azam’s 32-ball 46, all-rounder Shadab Khan bludgeoned 30 runs off just 12 balls to provide the slog-overs impetus to the ‘Men in Green’.
For the USA, in-form fast bowler Shadley van Schalkwyk picked up sensational figures of 4-25 in his four overs of the high-scoring innings. Schalkwyk’s spell handed him his second successive four-fer of the T20 World Cup 2026.
In response, the USA batters were restricted to 158-8 in 20 overs, even though Shubham Ranjane came up with a fiery 30-ball 51 in the middle-order. Shayan Jahangir also listed 49 runs off 34 balls at the top, but lack of assistance from captain Monank Patel (3 off 10) ended up increasing USA’s asking rate.
Overall, the UAE batters failed to dispatch Pakistan’s spin quartet, with controversial Usman Tariq being the pick of them with figures of 3-27. Shadab Khan also chipped in with two wickets to cap a remarkable all-round performance for himself.
