Pakistan will now lock horns with the United States of America (USA) on February 10 at the Sinhalese Sports Club Cricket Ground in Sri Lanka
Babar Azam, Ricky Ponting (Pic: File Pic)
In the T20 World Cup 2026 match against the Netherlands, Pakistan's premier batsman Babar Azam scored 15 runs in 18 balls, with the help of a boundary.
Speaking about his performance, former Australian captain Ricky Ponting stated that by playing such a knock, the batsman not only puts pressure on himself, but also on the non-striker.
"If you're 15 off 18 balls, you're not just putting pressure on yourself, you're putting pressure on the guy at the other end," he said.
"The guy at the other end then knows that he's got to be the one to take up the boundary scoring. Babar needs to hit boundaries early on. He needs to get off and going, he needs two boundaries in his first six balls, otherwise the whole momentum of the game is going to change every time he goes in," added Ponting.
He then feels that Babar has lost his ball-striking ability and said that the "Green Shirts" will need the best version of him, going further in the global showpiece.
"It just looks to me like he's lost a bit of his power, his ball striking ability, like taking that spinner on the way he did and not being able to even go close to clearing it. I defended him at the start of the tournament, a big name player in a big event experience, you need (those players) in your side if you're going to win. Pakistan need the best version of Babar Azam if they're going to go further in this tournament," said the former cricketer.
Further speaking, Ponting feels that the right-handed batsman should bat at number three and explained the reason, saying that the players coming to bat after him have enough power to strike the ball.
"I would even think about batting him at No.3. I think the earlier he goes in, if he can get some time inside the Powerplay with the field up, I think that's going to help him because if he has just lost that little bit of power, then you need everything in your favour. So, having only two fielders out would help him. The guys that (are) batting after him have got plenty of power anyway. They can take advantage of those middle overs with the spinners on and the fielders out," he said.
"They've got a big decision to make whether he stays in or whether they leave him out," Ponting concluded.
The "Green Shirts", however, managed to secure a win by three wickets against the Netherlands. They will now lock horns with the United States of America (USA) on February 10 at the Sinhalese Sports Club Cricket Ground in Sri Lanka.
Pakistan's squad for the T20 World Cup 2026
Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Nawaz, Babar Azam, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Ali Agha (C), Faheem Ashraf, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Abrar Ahmed, Usman Khan (WK), Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Mirza, Khawaja Nafay (WK), Usman Tariq.
(With ANI Inputs)
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