Batting great Babar Azam was moved down the batting order for Pakistan’s final T20 World Cup group game against Namibia for scoring too slowly, said head coach Mike Hesson on Friday.

Azam, who is the highest run-scorer in T20 international history with 4,571 runs, was moved down the order for the must-win game against Namibia as Pakistan racked up 199-3 and secured a place in the Super Eights by 102 runs.

The 2009 champions face New Zealand in Colombo on Saturday in the opening match of the second phase.

“I think Babar is well aware that his strike rate in the power play in the World Cup is less than 100 and that’s clearly not the role we think we need,” Hesson told reporters after Pakistan’s final practice session on Friday was washed out by rain.

Pakistan left out Azam for the same reason at last year’s Asia Cup and even after a dismal showing in the Big Bash League, he was still selected for the T20 World Cup.

“We brought Babar back in for a specific role post the Asia Cup,” said Hesson.

“We’ve got plenty of other options who can come in and perform that role towards the end.

“Babar is actually the first to acknowledge that.

“He knows that he’s got a certain set of skills that the team requires and there are certain times where other players can perform that role more efficiently.”

Hesson also defended dropping pace spearhead Shaheen Shah Afridi after he conceded 101 runs in three matches, including 31 in two overs against India.

“We made a call that Salman Mirza was coming in for Shaheen, and he bowled incredibly well,” said Hesson.

“To be fair, he was probably really unlucky not to be playing the second and third games.” Hesson was wary of Pakistan’s opponents on Saturday.

“New Zealand have played a huge amount in the subcontinent in recent times, so we have to play at our best. “

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The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said on Friday that the Green Shirts would tour Bangladesh in March for a three-match One Day International (ODI) series.

In a press release, the PCB said, “Pakistan men’s cricket team will tour Bangladesh for a three-match ODI series, the Bangladesh Cricket Board confirmed on Friday.”

It said that the team would arrive in Bangladesh on March 9 and hold a training session the next day, ahead of the opening ODI against the hosts on March 11.

The board added that the second ODI would be played on March 13, while the third and final match was scheduled for March 15.

It added that all three matches would be played at the Shere Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka.

“This will be Pakistan’s second tour of Bangladesh since July 2025. Pakistan last toured Bangladesh for a three-match T20I series in July, which the hosts won 2-1. Meanwhile, Bangladesh toured Pakistan for a three-match T20I series in May/June last year, which the Salman Ali Agha-led side won 3-0,” the PCB said.

The development comes after Pakistan announced it would boycott the match against India during the ongoing T20 World Cup. The decision came after Bangladesh’s request to shift its matches out of India was rejected amid tensions between the two countries, which led to the team being replaced by Scotland in the tournament.

The situation ultimately led to a delegation from the International Cricket Council visiting Pakistan, after which it was announced that Pakistan would play the match against India.

However, the ICC also announced that Bangladesh would not face any penalty for opting out of the tournament and would also host an ICC event prior to the Men’s Cricket World Cup in 2031.

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Former captain Michael Vaughan has urged the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to “act fast” on reports that Pakistani players will be overlooked by Indian-owned teams in the domestic Hundred competition.

Longstanding political tensions between India and Pakistan have led to the border rivals only playing each other in international cricket events, although their recent Colombo showdown at the ongoing T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka only went ahead after Pakistan called off a boycott.

It has been claimed that politics has also led to an effective ban on Pakistani players participating in the Indian Premier League, world cricket’s most lucrative T20 franchise competition.

And with several IPL owners now owning teams in several different countries, opportunities for Pakistani cricketers to participate in various leagues are in danger of being reduced further.

The BBC has now reported that the issue could be a factor during next month’s player auction for English cricket’s Hundred, a 100 balls-per-side competition featuring eight franchises rather than the traditional 18 first-class counties.

Players will go under the hammer in London on March 11-12, with the BBC reporting that the four Indian-affiliated Hundred teams — Manchester Super Giants, MI London, Southern Brave and Sunrisers Leeds — will deliberately avoid selecting players from Pakistan.

More than 50 Pakistani cricketers have registered their availability, with four other teams involved in the bidding.

The ECB have been unable to substantiate the BBC allegations, but former England captain Vaughan has called for the governing body to investigate the issue thoroughly.

Vaughan, referencing the ECB’s stated aim of cricket becoming the most inclusive sport in the country, posted on Friday on X: “The ECB need to act fast on this … they own the league, and this should not be allowed to happen … The most inclusive sport in the country is not one that allows this to happen.”

An ECB spokesman said: “The Hundred welcomes men’s and women’s players from all over the world and we would expect the eight teams to reflect that.

“Almost 1,000 cricketers from 18 nations have registered for The Hundred auction, with representation on the longlist of over 50 players respectively from Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Pakistan and West Indies.”

Only two Pakistan internationals — Mohammad Amir and Imad Wasim — appeared in last year’s Hundred, the final edition before new investors became involved.

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