Sikander Bakht: “Our star players aren’t stepping up. Babar is a regular performer and has a huge name, but he’s unable to finish matches. Rizwan hasn’t done it either”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former Pakistan fast bowler Sikander Bakht has called out batsmen Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan for not being able to finish matches.
He stressed that, as Pakistan’s premier batsmen, the pair need to step up in pressure situations and lead the men in green across the finish line more consistently, especially given the standards they have set with their performances over the years.
Bakht also voiced concerns over the inconsistency of several new players coming into the side, calling their inability to perform regularly a “serious issue”.
“Our star players aren’t stepping up. Babar is a regular performer and has a huge name, but he’s unable to finish matches. Rizwan hasn’t done it either. If these established players don’t score runs, what will we tell the new players? This is a concerning situation for Pakistan cricket, as neither the new nor the experienced players are performing, which is a serious issue for the team,” he was quoted as saying by TOK Sports on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Rizwan hasn’t been in action for Pakistan lately as he has fallen out of favour with the selectors in T20Is.
As for Azam, he featured in the three-match T20I series against Australia and scored 76 runs, which included a top score of 50 not out, at an average of 38 and a strike-rate of 124.59.
The 31-year-old is now involved in the 2026 T20 World Cup and has accumulated 61 runs in two games at an average of 30.50 and a strike-rate of 122.
Pakistan won their first two matches against the Netherlands and United States of America, and will now look to make it three in a row when they take on India on February 15 in Colombo.
Pakistan Squad for 2026 T20 World Cup: Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Nafay (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Nawaz, Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan (wicketkeeper), Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan (wicketkeeper), Usman Tariq