Pakistan have dropped their batting superstar Babar Azam for the must-win game against Sri Lanka in Pallekele on Saturday (February 28). To make it to the semifinal of T20 World Cup 2026, Pakistan needs to win by a margin of approximately 70-plus runs batting first and in case of chasing, they need to finish the game with around six to seven overs left.
Sri Lanka have already been eliminated and have opted to bowl on winning the toss. Which means that Pakistan needs a massive total to have any chance of making qualifying. However, it seems like the think tank isn't too confident about their chances, otherwise dropping a senior player at this juncture seems puzzling.
That Babar's recent T20 form has been disastrous is another matter and at no.4, he is realistically inefficient with his style of play. With the chances of qualification slim, Pakistan have opted to make changes and also rejig the batting order. Saim Ayub has also been dropped and Fakhar Zaman is expected to open the batting with Sahibzada Farhan.
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The other changes for Pakistan are Naseem Shah and Abrar Ahmed who have come in for Salman Mirza and Ayub respectively while Khawaja Nafay returns in Babar's spot. Ironically, Pakistan have opted to play with four specialist bowlers and have listed all-rounder Mohammad Nawaz at the no.7 spot.
Captain Salman Ali Agha at the toss acknowledged the complexity of Pakistan's qualification chances and hoped that his side could end the tournament on a positive note. The fact that their chances are very slim means that Pakistan can afford to express themselves a lot better and that's what Agha hopes from his batters.
"Sometimes it can be tough and sometimes it’s easy," said Agha.
"You have the freedom to go and just play shots or you know what you need to do. But yeah, it’s a mixed kind of a thing. We’ll just try to play a perfect game and I think the rest will be fine."