Mike Hesson has poured cold water on rumours that Babar Azam might take up wicketkeeping to reclaim a spot in Pakistan’s Twenty20 side, stressing the former captain remains in contention only as a specialist batter.
The story surfaced after Babar, left out of the recent home T20Is against Bangladesh and the upcoming return leg in Dhaka, attended a short training camp in Karachi alongside Mohammad Rizwan. Both openers, once fixtures at the top of the order, have watched on while Fakhar Zaman and Saim Ayub were preferred in the new-look batting line-up led by Salman Agha.
“Firstly, Babar Azam is not seen as a wicketkeeping option, no,” Hesson said. “Not sure where that came from, but I have heard that speculation. Babar is competing for one of the opening positions at the moment. But obviously we have Fakhar [Zaman] and Saim [Ayub] in those two roles at the moment, so he’s competing for that.”
Hesson, only a month into his tenure, wants the side to catch up with the way the format has moved on. Pakistan’s T20 ranking has slipped, a slide many observers put down to conservative batting, especially in the powerplay. The coach acknowledged as much when asked why the strike-rate debate continues to hover over Babar and Rizwan.
“No doubt strike rate is important in T20 cricket but you have to combine it with a volume of runs,” he said. “There’s a good reason why our ranking in T20 cricket is as low as it is, because our strike rates from a batting point of view are not high enough. We certainly made some shifts in that last series to play a more expansive game of cricket and probably catch up with the rest of the world, as that is the way the modern game is.”
“Babar is one of many who have the ability to make those improvements. And I’m here to work with them and help them. In the last month or so, he’s made some really good changes. It’s not just a matter of going from 125 to 150, it’s a matter of increasing what you can offer because we’re no doubt often 30-40 runs short with the bat. So, we need to find a way of getting that.”
Those adjustments aren’t limited to the top order. Left-arm quick Shaheen Shah Afridi, a star of Pakistan’s runs to the T20 World Cup semi-finals (2021) and final (2022), also finds himself outside the current squad despite leading Lahore Qalandars to another PSL crown in May. Afridi has joined the same Karachi camp, his absence signalling Hesson’s willingness to challenge established senior players.
“We have identified some areas that Shaheen needs to work on,” Hesson said, offering little detail but hinting at workload management and variations at the death. Afridi’s pace remains brisk, yet the staff want him sharper with the older ball, especially at the back end of an innings where Pakistan have leaked totals in excess of 190 far too often over the past year.
Analysis
Hesson’s comments underline a shift toward data-backed selections. Fakhar and the explosive Saim average well above 140 in the powerplay for their franchises, a figure Pakistan rarely touch in international T20s. By contrast, Babar and Rizwan, while prolific, hover closer to 120-125. The numbers explain why the pair are no longer automatic picks.
That said, Hesson knows experience still counts in high-pressure tournaments. Babar’s ODI form remains excellent and Rizwan’s keeping is tidy. If either finds a reliable gear above 140 in domestic cricket, they will be hard to ignore for the T20 World Cup next year.
Afridi’s case is similar. Pakistan’s seam depth is promising—Naseem Shah is back bowling quickly and Mohammad Wasim Jnr has impressed—but none offers Afridi’s left-arm angle or new-ball swing. Fine-tuning, not reinvention, is the requirement.
Outlook
Pakistan head to Bangladesh later this month with a squad short on big names but packed with hitters and utility bowlers. Hesson hopes the trip will harden younger players and, crucially, show senior men what is now needed to reclaim their shirts.
It is early days, yet the message is unmistakable: strike faster, field sharper, and keep evolving. For Babar and Afridi, two of the finest cricketers of their generation, the challenge is clear and, by their own lofty standards, achievable.
