PowerPlay role not what we need from Babar: Hesson

Pakistan do not feel obligated to bat Babar Azam at the top of the order, or even at No.4, if the situation demands a batter with a different skillset, head coach Mike Hesson argued ahead of their Super Eights fixture against New Zealand.

Babar, who was dropped for the Asia Cup, found his way back into the T20 World Cup squad but was not an automatic choice at the top. Sahibzada Farhan and Saim Ayub have held the opening roles, and Farhan has since further strengthened his case with a century against Namibia, his fifth T20 hundred since 2025. In a side that does not clear the ropes as freely as some of their rivals, that form has underlined both his value and his growing importance.

In the same match, Babar was held back as Khawaja Nafay and even Shadab Khan were sent ahead of him, adding to intrigue around what the role really is for Babar if not at the top of the order and not at No. 4.

"We got to the 12th over mark and at that point, Babar Azam is not the best person to come in," Hesson said. "We've got plenty of other options who can come in and perform that role towards the end. And Babar is actually the first to acknowledge that. He knows that he's got a certain set of skills that the team require, and there are certain times where other players can perform that role more efficiently."

The call was also shaped by numbers. Babar's strike rate against spin on his return to the side has been just over 100, which is not high enough for the middle overs if acceleration is required. Each of his five dismissals in 2026 have come against spin, with the slower bowlers turning the ball away from him.

That was why Nafay was sent ahead of him, Hesson reckoned.

"Babar was the first to recognise when left arm spin was taking shape and it was turning that it wasn't a smart move to send out two right handers," Hesson said. "And then the left arm spinner had finished and Nafay went out to take the game on. That's what we needed at that time. So no, certainly not a paradigm shift, more about roles."

Even as an opener, Farhan's form aside, Hesson suggested Babar's skills are not ideally suited to what Pakistan want in the PowerPlay, with only two fielders outside the circle.

"Well, look, it's what the team requires," Hesson said. "And Babar is well aware of that. I think he's well aware hs strike rate in the PowerPlay in World Cups is less than 100 in T20s. So clearly, that's not a role that we think here we need.

"We think he's a fine player through the middle if required, in terms of if we're in a little bit of trouble," Hesson said. "Or as we saw against the USA, once he gets himself set, he can increase his strike rate at that point. So, we brought Babar back in for a specific role post the Asia Cup. We wanted some batsmanship through the middle, and he certainly brings that for us. And he did in many games throughout the last 10."

Pakistan have the option of replacing Babar Azam in the XI, but they appear to trust him to play the steadying hand if required. Fakhar Zaman, with his more attacking and left-handed option, remains available should conditions demand a different approach.

"Fakh is in the squad yes," Hesson said. "We know that if he's required, if we end up having to play a lot of left-arm spin and the ball turns, that the advantage of that is important. And we've got that flexibility within the squad."