Pakistan break silence on demoting Babar Azam in batting order against Namibia: ‘He exactly knows his role’

Babar Azam did not come out to bat for Pakistan, demoted as the team searched for extra power down the order.

Pakistan might have been a little anxious heading into their final match of the group stages of the T20 World Cup, as Namibia possessed the ability to play spolisport and knock them out of contention with an upset. However, it was comprehensive and authoritative from Pakistan in a must-win environment, as they won by 102 runs.

Pakistan's Babar Azam looks on during the 2026 ICC Men's T20 Cricket World Cup group stage match between Pakistan and Namibia (AFP)

Sahibzada Farhan’s first innings century was integral, but at was a late charge by Shadab Khan. The all-rounder came in to bat at number five, promoted ahead of Babar Azam after Khawaja Nafay had already been pushed higher up the order. It was a tactical decision which worked, as Shadab smashed 36*(22) with three sixes.

Babar’s form remains a concern, and many interpreted the decision not to send him as a lack of faith in his power-hitting abilities. Nafay was trusted ahead of him in his first match of the tournament, while Shadab was also pushed ahead to finish off the innings. Babar didn’t get to bat on the day.

When asked about it in the post-match press conference, Shadab played down talks regarding experimentation or lack of faith, and insisted that this was simply a matter of preparation and the team knowing what strengths each of their players possess.

“Do you really think Pakistan experiments that much? I don’t think so. Our messages are very clear. If you’re talking about Babar not being called to bat, he knows exactly when his role comes into play,” explained Shadab. “The messages are clear for every player. The team changes according to conditions, and that’s what is happening.”

‘Can’t take these things to heart'

While Babar’s role might be seen as more of the accumulator and anchor early in the innings should wickets fall, that is a relatively negative way of playing modern T20 cricket – and also doesn’t say much of Pakistan’s trust in Babar’s form at the minute. However, Shadab continued to say that this was never a personal thing, and had everything to do with Pakistan’s tactical approach.

“As a professional, you can’t take these things to heart. The team’s environment and messages are very clear, so it’s not a problem for any player. Everyone is trying to help the team win,” he said.

For Shadab, it also came down to a matter of execution in crunch moments, and working with the the gameplan and doing what the team had in their own command,

“The Super 8 will be tough. There will be pressure games. At the end of the day, you can only control certain things, so you should focus on controlling those. And now Ramadan has started, so we also have our faith and belief supporting us,” concluded Shadab.