The Pallekele International Cricket Stadium saw England put on a dominant show against Pakistan. The English team qualified for the semi-final on the back of a century from their captain, Harry Brook. Meanwhile, they restricted the Men in Green to 164/9 in their 20 overs in the first innings. English chased down the total with two wickets in hand and five balls to spare.
Babar Azam registers yet another shameful record in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026
Jamie Overton dismissed Babar Azam for 25 with a sharp delivery. This effectively ended Pakistan’s hopes of a late charge in Kandy. This specific dismissal highlighted a growing problem for the former captain. His 24-ball stay further dragged down an already falling strike rate. Babar has scored 4571 runs across 135 T20 International innings. However, his performance on the world stage paints a different picture regarding his efficiency.
He now sits at the top of a list no player wants to lead. Babae Azam holds the record for the lowest strike rate among all players with at least 500 runs in T20 World Cup history. His scoring rate of 111.5 puts him below Mohammad Hafeez and Kumar Sangakkara. Both players used to be the face of this statistical category.
Critics often point to his career T20I strike rate of 128.18 as a major issue. Still, his numbers in World Cups suggest a clear difficulty with shifting gears against top-tier bowling. Consequently, the Pakistani management faces mounting pressure. They must justify picking him for a format that now favours aggressive hitting over just staying at the crease.
Batters in the lowest strike rates:
Here’s how the list of lowest strike-rates in T20 World Cups (minimum 500 runs) looks:
- 111.5 – Babar Azam
- 111.8 – Mohammad Hafeez
- 112.2 – Kumar Sangakkara
- 112.5 – Kane Williamson
- 113.0 – Mohammad Rizwan.
Throughout this 2026 campaign, Babar has managed only 91 runs across four innings. This happened even though Pakistan have played six matches in total. The team management moved him from his usual opening spot to the middle order. However, this tactical move failed to spark his scoring or help his 22.75 average. He looks increasingly out of step with the modern pace of the shortest format. This is especially clear as his rivals consistently score at a much higher rate.
