Former Pakistan coach Jason Gillespie shared his honest views on Babar Azam’s struggles in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026. Babar Azam’s T20I career was revived by new head coach Mike Hesson, yet the former Pakistan captain failed to live up to expectations.
The cricket world is shocked by Babar Azam’s poor statistics.
In four innings, the right-handed batsman has scored only 91 runs at an average of 22.75. But it was his strike rate – just 111.5 – that disappointed everyone. This is now the lowest strike rate in the history of the T20 World Cup for any player who has scored more than 500 career runs in the tournament.
In modern T20 cricket, batsmen attack from the first ball and strike rates reach 160, even 200, but Babar looks stranded. He plays a lot of dot balls. Pakistan’s star slows down in the middle overs. He struggles against spin. And when the pressure increases it fails to change gears.
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Jason Gillespie breaks silence on Babar’s T20 World Cup 2026 struggles
Pakistan’s narrow defeat to England in the Super 8 made things worse for both the team and Babar. However, Gillespie feels that Babar needs clarity about his role and he should play fearless cricket, but not recklessly.
Jason Gillespie said about Babar Azam, “There’s been a lot of scrutiny about Babar Azam. My question would be, is he completely clear about what his specific role is in the team? And I would like Babar to go out there and play with complete freedom. For me, it’s playing fearless cricket, but not reckless.”
Is fear of failure stopping Babar Azam?
The veteran Australian cricketer said that Babar should have confidence in himself. He suggested Babar to focus on the gaps, beat the infield, take smart risks and attack when the fielders are standing inside the circle.
He said, “Always focus on taking positive options. But it’s not slogging; it’s just being aggressive. Don’t be afraid to come out on the field. You just have to control the infield and you have to score runs. Play with intent.”
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Gillespie feels that Babar is very worried about getting out and this fear stops him from attacking. Fear does not work in T20 cricket. The former Australian fast bowler further mentioned that Babar’s focus is on getting the team off to a good start and trying to keep the game going.
Babar needs real clarity in his mind: Gillespie
“I wonder if Babar is a little bit worried about his wicket. The fear of getting out, the fear of failure in T20, doesn’t last because the game moves so fast. You have to move the game at some point,” the coach said.
He believes that Babar just needs clarity to make a strong comeback in the shorter format of the game. Gillespie concluded by saying, “I think if he has that real clarity in his mind, OK, I’ll just go out and play here; he’ll be more likely to succeed than fail. As long as he has that real clarity in his mind about going out there and playing with that freedom and having really good intentions.”
Jason Gillespie on Babar Azam
“I would like Babar Azam to go there and play with complete freedom.”
Etiquette @SajSadiqCricketpic.twitter.com/zVsQCCOyHK– Pakistan Cricket Team USA FC (@DoctorofCricket) 26 February 2026
