Is the Pakistan Team Moving Past Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan in T20I?

Pakistan Cricket: Pakistan cricket finds itself at a crossroads after a dismal ICC Champions Trophy 2025 campaign, where they failed to secure a single victory. With an eye on rebuilding for the future, the selectors have surprised the World by dropping Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam out of the T20I side.

PCB have announced the squad for the upcoming tour of New Zealand, featuring five T20Is and three ODIs in mid-March. Notably, star batter Babar Azam and skipper Mohammad Rizwan have been left out of the T20I squad, a decision that raises questions about their role in the shortest format.

While both players remain part of the ODI setup, their absence from the T20I side suggests a potential shift in strategy, possibly influenced by concerns over their strike rates in white-ball cricket. Is this the beginning of a new era for Pakistan's T20I team or just a temporary experiment?

Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan Stats in T20Is

The Strike Rate Debate: Why Were Babar and Rizwan Dropped?

While Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan have been among the most consistent run-scorers for Pakistan in T20Is, their approach has often come under scrutiny. The modern T20 game demands high strike rates, especially during the powerplay, where teams aim to maximize scoring opportunities.

Since 2022, both Babar and Rizwan have had relatively lower strike rates compared to top openers from other leading teams. Their cautious starts have often led to criticism, as Pakistan has struggled to post imposing totals in high-scoring matches.

In current times, these two players have been in the top five of the players with the worst strike rate in the T20I format.

Pakistan’s interim head coach, Aaqib Javed, has emphasized the need for a more aggressive style in T20 cricket. “We need to play fearless and aggressive cricket in the T20 format and that’s why we have brought in new players,” he said.

“Nowadays teams are scoring over 200 in T20 cricket. We also need batters who could utilize the first six overs of the batting powerplay and play big shots.”

What Pakistan's head coach is talking about is totally understandable, as when the strike rates of these two players are compared to Indian openers, Babar and Rizwan stand nowhere close to Indian players.

While their exclusion from the T20I squad suggests that Pakistan is looking beyond them in this format, it may not be the end of their T20I careers. Babar and Rizwan still bring immense experience, and if they can adapt their game to a more aggressive style, they could find a way back into the setup.

For now, Pakistan is betting on a younger, more attacking approach. The New Zealand tour will be a crucial test for the new-look squad, and if the fresh faces deliver, it might just mark the beginning of a new era in Pakistan’s T20 cricket.