Pakistan’s batting line-up has long been a subject of debate. On paper, it appears powerful, stacked with hitters who can change the course of a match within a few overs. Yet, despite this apparent strength, there is an unmistakable incompleteness about it — the absence of Babar Azam. The void is not simply about reputation; it is borne out by numbers. Babar has scored over 3,500 T20 international runs at an average above 41 with a strike rate close to 129. Since 2020, his partnerships with Mohammad Rizwan have laid the foundation of Pakistan’s innings more often than not, producing over 20 fifty-plus opening stands. Without him, the team has struggled for stability, relying too heavily on sporadic bursts of hitting rather than sustained partnerships.
The absence of a dependable anchor has coincided with another persistent weakness: the struggle against spin. From 2022 to 2024, Pakistan’s collective strike rate against spinners in T20Is was 116, compared to 133 against pace. The Sharjah series against Afghanistan in 2023 highlighted this fragility when Pakistani batters surrendered 13 wickets to spin across three games, averaging only 19 runs per dismissal. By contrast, India’s top three — Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav — average over 30 against slow bowling with strike rates comfortably above 130. The gulf underscores not just a technical deficiency but also a tactical one, as Pakistan have yet to prepare specialist batters for middle-order roles where spin usually dominates.
Even when the team manages to build momentum, the batting order often undermines its own potential. Haris, one of Pakistan’s cleanest strikers, is usually sent in too late to influence the game. A more logical approach would be to push him up to number three or four, similar to how England promote Jos Buttler or how Australia use Glenn Maxwell in flexible roles. Instead, Pakistan’s middle order frequently looks disjointed, with players shunted into positions unsuited to their natural game. The result is a line-up that looks strong in theory but lacks clarity in execution.
If batting continues to suffer from mismanagement, the bowling faces its own challenge in predictability. Haris Rauf’s pace is his greatest strength, yet in modern T20 cricket sheer speed rarely guarantees success. At the 2024 T20 World Cup, his economy rate swelled to 9.2, far higher than Jasprit Bumrah’s 6.5 or Mitchell Starc’s 7.1. The difference lay not in speed but in variety. Bumrah delivers nearly 40 percent of his balls as variations — yorkers, slower deliveries, off-cutters — while Rauf does so in less than 20 percent. That reliance on back-of-a-length pace makes him easier to line up, especially in death overs. Unless he develops greater range, his wicket-taking ability will remain inconsistent.
Selection dilemmas only complicate the picture. Salman Agha, while offering balance as an all-round option, has not provided the consistency Pakistan need in crunch situations. Babar’s return, even if not as an opener, could be decisive. Placing him at number three or four would allow hitters like Fakhar Zaman or Haris to fully exploit the powerplay while still ensuring stability in the middle. This balance between aggression and anchoring is precisely what Pakistan lack in their current set-up.
If there is a positive sign, it lies in Pakistan’s growing spin options. Abrar Ahmed’s mystery spin, Sufiyan Muqeem’s left-arm variations, and the utility of part-timers like Salman Agha and Saim Ayub provide depth that was previously missing. In conditions where spin dominates — as the Asia Cup often demonstrates — these bowlers could prove decisive. The challenge will be whether Pakistan use them strategically, not merely as support acts, but as genuine match-winners who can tilt contests in their favour.
The Asia Cup will soon test whether Pakistan have learned from these recurring problems. Talent is not the issue; clarity is. Without Babar’s stabilising influence, without a coherent plan against spin, without a logical batting order and a more varied bowling attack, the team risks falling into familiar patterns. If the management can address these gaps and harness its emerging spin resources wisely, Pakistan’s T20 side could evolve from a dangerous prospect into a genuinely title-winning outfit. If not, the promise of potential will continue to remain unfulfilled.
This blog is written by Syed Asad Nadeem, Working as head of social media 365 News and Daily Times (Newspaper).