Pakistan to drop Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi for T20 World Cup match vs Namibia? Here's what report says

Pakistan are reportedly considering a couple of big changes for their upcoming 2026 T20 World Cup match against Namibia.

According to a Geo News report, there is a likelihood of veterans Babar Azam and Shaheen Shah Afridi being dropped from the playing XI against Namibia.

Team management frustrated with Pakistan's display in T20 World Cup

As per Geo News's sources, the team management has grown increasingly “frustrated with the lacklustre performances of some of the more established names in the side during recent outings.”

This development comes in the aftermath of Pakistan's 61-run loss to India in their third group-stage match of the 2026 T20 World Cup in Colombo on Sunday.

Pakistan, looking to chase down a target of 176, were all out for 114 in 18 overs. Babar was dismissed for five runs from seven balls against India, whereas Shaheen Afridi registered figures of 1/31 from four overs.

In the ongoing T20 World Cup tournament so far, Babar has aggregated just 66 runs from three matches, at an average of 22 and a strike-rate of 115.78. Shaheen Shah Afridi, on the other hand, has taken just three wickets from as many matches. Babar Azam’s strike-rate in T20Is recently have been questioned.

Coming back to Pakistan's chances of qualification, they will need to beat Namibia in order to qualify for the Super Eight stage. The Salman Ali Agha-led side are in third place with four points from three matches, whereas the USA, who have played all their group-stage matches, also have four points.

The USA, though, have a positive Net Run Rate (NRR), so should Pakistan lose to Namibia, they could be staring at a group-stage exit. The Netherlands are in fourth place with two points from three matches. The Dutch will take on India in their final group-stage match.

Pakistan have not won an ICC title since beating India to win the 2017 Champions Trophy in England. The Men in Green, under Babar Azam’s captaincy, were knocked out of the league stage of the 2023 ODI World Cup.

At the 2024 T20 World Cup in the USA and West Indies, Pakistan were knocked out of the tournament in the group stage. The last time Pakistan reached the final of the T20 World Cup was in 2022, when they lost to England. The last and only time Pakistan won the T20 World Cup was in 2009, when they beat Sri Lanka in the final.