Pakistan batter Babar Azam during the T20 World Cup match against the Netherlands. (IANS Photo)

NEW DELHI: Babar Azam’s uneasy start to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 has triggered a rare and searching debate, with two of the game’s most respected voices — Ricky Ponting and Ravi Shastri — openly questioning Pakistan’s use of their premier batter and the pressure building around him.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel.SUBSCRIBE NOW! Pakistan opened their campaign with a three-wicket win over the Netherlands, but Babar’s scratchy 15 off 18 balls at No.4 stood out in an otherwise successful result. While the former captain had shown flashes of form with an unbeaten half-century against Australia in the final T20I before the World Cup, Ponting believes something fundamental has dipped.

“If you’re 15 off 18 balls, you’re not just putting pressure on yourself, you’re putting pressure on the guy at the other end,” Ponting said on The ICC Review. “Babar needs to hit boundaries early on. He needs to get off and going… otherwise the whole momentum of the game is going to change every time he goes in.”Ponting went further, suggesting Babar may have lost some of his trademark power through the middle overs. “It just to me looks like he’s lost a bit of his power, his ball striking ability,” he said, pointing to a failed attempt to take on spin as a worrying sign. While defending Babar’s value as a big-match player, Ponting was clear: “Pakistan need the best version of Babar Azam if they’re going to go further in this tournament.”

Shastri echoed those concerns but framed them around expectation and reputation. “When you are at that stage of your career, there’s baggage,” Shastri said. “There’s a weight of expectation. People expect you to go out there and deliver.” He urged a more fearless approach, even at the cost of early dismissal. “In your first five balls… make an effort to hit a couple of boundaries. You will feel a lot better and things might change.”Both experts also questioned Babar’s current role. Ponting floated the idea of pushing him back to No.3. “The earlier he goes in… with only two fielders out would help him,” he said, adding that Pakistan’s power hitters could then dominate later.Yet the most dramatic note came when selection itself was raised. “They’ve got a big decision to make whether he stays in or whether they leave him out,” Ponting said, while Shastri warned, “There will be questions asked.”With Pakistan set to face the USA in Colombo on February 10, Babar finds himself at a defining moment.