Will Babar Azam play against South Africa in 1st T20I match? Pakistan head coach Mike Hesson reveals, says…

Babar Azam will make his comeback to Pakistan’s T20I team at the number three position against South Africa, marking his first T20I match since December 2024.

Pakistan head coach Mike Hesson has confirmed that Babar Azam will make his return to T20I cricket, batting at the number three spot in the upcoming three-match series against South Africa. This will be Babar’s first T20I appearance since December 2024.

Hesson shared the update during a press interaction at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium while the team was training. The move comes after opener Fakhar Zaman took a short break from T20 cricket to concentrate on playing domestic matches.

What were Pakistan’s head coach Mike Hesson’s statements?

“I certainly endorse his selection, with Fakhar Zaman sent to first-class cricket. We’ve had a conversation with him, and he wants to come back into the One-Day scene, so we’ve given him a bit of a break from T20Is to get his technique back to where he wants to be, and I’ve been really supportive of that,” Hesson shared with GeoSuper.

“That created an opportunity for another top-order player, and it’s a great opportunity to get Babar back into the squad. He’s likely to bat at three, so it’s a role that I’m very confident he’ll be able to do well in,” Hesson added.

What are Babar Azam’s stats?

Babar Azam last played a T20I match against South Africa. The 31-year-old has played 128 T20I games, scoring 4,223 runs at an average of 39.84 with a strike rate of 129.23.

In his T20I career, he has scored 36 fifties and three hundreds. His top score of 122 came against South Africa in Centurion in 2021. Specifically against South Africa, Babar has an average of 34.38 from 13 innings with a strike rate of 141.45, which is his highest strike rate against any Test-playing team in T20Is.