Former Pakistani fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar has said that Babar Azam’s place in the one-day side is under question, claiming that team management is weighing his future in the format.
Akhtar made the remarks on a national TV program, asking the host whether he would select [Babar] in ODIs, then left the question hanging.
Akhtar said that team management is considering the idea [to drop him]. “They are thinking along those lines,” he stated.
He added that he did not want to stir any controversy. “I’m not here to create a sensation about Babar Azam and everything else. I think he should play,” Akhtar said. He said Babar should use his talent to “prove to them that I am a worthy one-day player.”
Akhtar also raised concerns about Aaqib’s challenges in ODI cricket, citing batting and bowling over 50 overs. “There’s going to be one hell of a problem. You’re not ready for it,” he said. The host agreed. “But I hope I am wrong,” Akhtar added, saying he sees the task as “very difficult.”
Babar has not scored a Test century since an unbeaten 161 against New Zealand in Karachi in December 2022. His last ODI hundred was an unbeaten 102 against Sri Lanka in Rawalpindi in November 2025, his 20th in the format.
The Pakistan Cricket Board included Babar in the squad for the ODI tri-series against England and Sri Lanka, which opens against Sri Lanka in Rawalpindi on Sunday.
Selectors left him out of the T20I squad for the three-match series against Sri Lanka earlier this month. His last T20I was on February 24.
