Iqbal Qasim: “At this point, Babar will have to decide whether he wants to continue in T20I cricket. If he is committed to this format, he will need to adapt to its demands”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former Pakistan spinner Iqbal Qasim believes Babar Azam has to decide if he wants to keep playing T20Is going forward.
He noted that if the top order batsman does plan to keep his T20I career alive, he has to “adapt to its demands”.
Azam used to be Pakistan’s go-to opener in the shortest format, but was heavily criticised for taking too many balls to score his runs.
Should the 30-year-old decide to walk away from T20Is, Qasim pointed out that he can still have a long and prosperous career in Tests and ODIs.
“Babar Azam is a talented player, but there comes a time for every batter when their form gets affected. At this point, Babar will have to decide whether he wants to continue in T20I cricket. If he is committed to this format, he will need to adapt to its demands. Otherwise, he has the potential to play Test and ODI cricket for many more years,” he told Sports World as quoted by Cricket Pakistan.
Azam recently captained the Peshawar Zalmi in the 2025 Pakistan Super League (PSL) and amassed 288 runs in 10 games, which included three fifties, at an average of 36 and a strike-rate of 128.57.
Despite his solid performance in PSL 10, he was left out of Pakistan’s side for their three-match T20I series in Lahore, which the men in green won 3-0.
Pakistan then travelled to Bangladesh for another three-match T20I series, but this time ended up losing 2-1.
Pakistan are now touring the West Indies for three T20Is and three ODIs, but Azam was only picked for the ODI leg.
The men in green won the T20I series 2-1.
The ODI series will start on August 9 in Trinidad.
Pakistan Squad for West Indies T20I Series: Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Nawaz, Sahibzada Farhan (wicketkeeper), Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Sufiyan Muqeem
Pakistan Squad for West Indies ODI Series: Mohammad Rizwan (captain), Salman Ali Agha, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Mohammad Haris (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Sufiyan Muqeem
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