Babar Azam in T20s has been a polarising topic in Pakistan cricket for many years.
Whether as captain or just a batter, Babar has faced questions about his place in Pakistan's 20-over set-up, even though he is the most prolific scorer in the format for the country.
In fact, Babar is the leading run scorer in international T20 cricket and 11th overall in the format.
But runs is not where the issue is. The problem, for Pakistan fans, has been the way they have been accumulated.
Strike rate has been Babar's Achilles heel since he started his international journey in 2016. However, T20 batting was not as evolved 10 years back, which allowed technically proficient players like Babar to accumulate runs and enable batters at the other end to take more risks.
In 2026, there is simply no place for accumulation. Big scores are almost immaterial – superfast innings are what matter. Champion T20 batter Virat Kohli gauged the changing landscape a couple of years back, bumping his strike rate in the Indian Premier League up to well above 150 in two out of the past three seasons. And the runs have not dried up.
Babar too has made a concerted effort since 2023 to get a move-on in T20s. This year in the Pakistan Super League, Babar has once again looked the best local batter by a distance.
Peshawar Zalmi are unbeaten after eight games in the league phase, and their batting has been powered by top-order batters Babar and Kusal Mendis, who have both amassed over 400 runs. The next best is less than 300.
The prolific Pakistan batter averages over 100 with a strike rate above 140 after scoring two fifties and an unbeaten ton.
His 100 not out against Quetta Gladiators on Sunday came off 52 balls – a strike rate of nearly 200. It was the 12th T20 century and his fastest in the league. Babar's heroics set up victory by a margin of over 100.
If you look at franchise cricket numbers, you would wonder what the hue and cry is all about. Well, that's because it is just half the story.
At the beginning of the year, during the T20 World Cup, Babar had a disaster with the bat – 91 runs from four innings. The former captain was even dropped from the team for the must-win match against Sri Lanka.
For most other players on a similar trajectory, the doors in T20 cricket would have closed by now. But not for Babar, because Pakistan simply don't have top-tier batting talent coming through in considerable numbers.
Over the past 10 years, the only other proven T20 batting talent to make a mark for Pakistan are Mohammad Rizwan and Fakhar Zaman. And they are on the final legs of their 20-over careers.
Among the newer names, Sahibzada Farhan has been in sizzling form at the top, while Saim Ayub is tilting more towards his mystery spin than scoring runs.
There is hope, though. Young batters Sameer Minhas and Hassan Nawaz – among the top five run scorers this PSL – do look like they have it in them to cement their position in the national T20 side.
But Babar, 31, is still scoring a lot more runs than the next best. And since the T20 cycle is just two years, another event will be around the corner soon. If the star batter takes his PSL form to the international stage – whichever format he finds himself playing – conversations will inevitably circle back to him.
Babar's position in the Pakistan national team is fairly complicated. He has been in and out for formats and captaincy roles. But Pakistan cricket does not seem to be in a mood to decisively move beyond Babar, especially if he keeps churning out runs.
Pakistan's returns at ICC events have been poor for successive seasons and the handful of proven stars they have are beginning to fray at the edges. Cricket is as much about star power as it is about stats and figures; there is a reason why Chennai Super Kings have MS Dhoni hobbling around the IPL on one good leg at the age of 44.
Babar has shown he deserves to remain in conversation for every format. Because if not Babar, then who else?
