Last Updated:
Babar Azam will skip the National T20 Championship after being dropped from Pakistan’s T20 squad for the New Zealand series, citing workload management and upcoming international games.
Babar Azam has come under scrutiny for his lack of performances for Pakistan. (Picture credit: AP)
After being dropped from Pakistan’s T20 squad for the upcoming series against New Zealand, Babar Azam and Naseem Shah have decided to skip the National T20 Championship as well.
This comes in contrast to what the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) selectors had suggested Babar, along with Mohammad Rizwan and Naseem Shah, who are centrally contracted players, would be taking part in the tournament.
On Thursday, it was confirmed that Babar and Naseem had withdrawn from the tournament, citing workload management and the upcoming international games as the reason.
A report by the Press Trust of India (PTI) also claims that a PCB source mentioned that the duo is prioritising the upcoming season of the Pakistan Super League instead.
“Given the inconsistent policies of the national selectors, these players are aware they will be back in the national T20 side if they just turn in a few good performances in the PSL, which will also lead to them being hyped up on social media,” the source said.
Pakistan cricket has come under massive scrutiny following its disappointing performance in the recently-concluded Champions Trophy 2025 campaign. The side led by Rizwan failed to make it out of the group stages, unable to win a single game despite being the hosts.
The side suffered losses to New Zealand and India but did not have a chance to redeem themselves in their final game against Bangladesh, which was washed out due to heavy rain.
Babar, in particular, was called out by many former cricketers for his lack of performance. The batter was able to score only 87 runs in the two games at an average of 43.5 and a strike-rate of 75. He was slammed for his lack of intent during the run-chase against New Zealand, where he scored 64 off 90 balls during their 321-run chase at the National Bank Stadium in Karachi.
It remains to be seen if Babar, who was once considered amongst the best batters in the current generation, can rediscover his best form with the bat to help Pakistan return to winning ways in the near future. Pakistan will be back in action for the five-match T20I series set to begin on March 16, with the first game being held at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch.