Babar Azam’s problems against spin bowling continued worryingly as Pakistan suffered another setback in the T20 World Cup 2026 opener against Netherlands in Colombo. Babar Azam once again failed to deliver when his team needed him most, leaving Pakistan in serious trouble during the chase against the Netherlands.
Babar Azam’s spin struggle continues in T20 World Cup 2026
Chasing a target of 148 at the Sinhalese Sports Club, Babar looked set to steady the innings but danger arrived in the form of Netherlands left-arm spinner Roelof van der Merwe. The spinner bowled a slow, good flight outside the off stump.
Also read: Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi become non-Pakistani, take brilliant tag-team catch against Netherlands in T20 World Cup
Babar decided to attack rather than playing it safe and went down the pitch to hit the ball high up the ground. The plan failed miserably. The former Pakistan captain misread the flight of the ball and mistimed his shot. The ball went high in the air but it did not have enough power.
It floated towards the long-off boundary, where Kyle Clyne moved quickly to his right and took an easy catch. This was a huge blow for Pakistan, as they slipped to 100 for 5. Babar walked back after scoring just 15 runs in 18 balls, with only one four to his name.
Here’s how Roelof van der Merwe trapped Babar Azam:
– Drizzyat12Kennyat8 (@45kennyat7PM) 7 February 2026
Pakistani fans turned on Babar after another poor performance. They are mercilessly criticizing the right-handed batsman and demanding his removal from the playing eleven.
Fans on X made fun of Babar like this:
Babar Azam’s throat choked again pic.twitter.com/58nVg2D6Pd
-` (@Klassickohli) 7 February 2026
Babar Azam 15(18) against Netherlands
Strike rate: 83.33#T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/78xJiymC1z
– Vaishnavi Cricket (@Vaishnvii05) 7 February 2026
Babar Azam’s unnecessary pressure and getting out remains permanent #T20WorldCup #PAKvsNED
– Rana Faez (@ranafaeez_1) 7 February 2026
Babar Azam is the worst T20 batsman in the world.
If you agree then like this tweet #PAKvsNED #nedvspak https://t.co/5aPuyQBj7U pic.twitter.com/S8yyMH01DR– Lucifer (@lucifer4272) 7 February 2026
Babar Azam wow will also be played
– We are from Bihar (@Agricultur16468) 7 February 2026
Babar Azam is a formidable T20 player and he cannot prove otherwise even against a modest Dutch attack. #PAKvsNED #T20WC
– Stereotypewriter (@babumoshoy) 7 February 2026
Shoaib Akhtar openly called Babar Azam a cheater #PAKvNED #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/cZww51Nun5
– David (@david315851) 7 February 2026
Someone sent Babar Azam to Epstein
– We are from Bihar (@Agricultur16468) 7 February 2026
No one cares about cricket anymore, but Babar Azam’s decline and fall as a batsman is shocking #PAKvsNED
– MaxSayed (@TweetAliTweet_) 7 February 2026
Babar Azam’s fan of Pakistanpic.twitter.com/mVpC9Mzi8B
– Aamir 2100 crore Shahrukh Khan 1100 crore (@Rancho119) 7 February 2026
This pitch of SSC Colombo is challenging for strokeplay. Babar Azam should have shown cleverness and taken it deeper. There was no point in taking high-risk shots when the run rate was still around 6.
This pitch was for his gameplay and being a senior play, he has failed miserably.…– Troll Cricket Unlimited (@TUnlimitedd) 7 February 2026
Doubt over Babar Azam’s place in Pakistan XI after flop show!
Earlier, Pakistan captain Salman Ali Aga had already made it clear that they will not think about big names if they do not fit into the combination. Salman had said, “We will try to play the best combination.”
He further said, “If any senior player, Fakhar or Babar, is not fit then we will not play them.”
ALSO READ: Paul van Meekeren brutally mocks Jasprit Bumrah’s foe Sahibzada Farhan with bunny-hop celebration
Now, it remains to be seen whether Babar will be retained for the next T20 World Cup 2026 match against USA on February 10 after his poor performance against Netherlands.
Pakistan extends 100% T20I record against Netherlands
However, Pakistan managed to maintain 100% win record against Netherlands in T20Is after defeating Netherlands by three wickets in Colombo. To date, the two teams have faced each other three times, with Pakistan winning on each occasion – in the T20 World Cup in 2009, 2022 and now 2026.
However, in the opening match of the tournament, the Netherlands gave a tough fight to the Men in Green and took the game till the last ball of the match. They certainly fell short of creating history by just a few runs.