The Lahore High Court (LHC) has cancelled the additional sessions judge’s order directing the registration of a case against Pakistan’s national cricketer Babar Azam.
Justice Asjad Gharal heard Babar Azam’s petition challenging the order.
According to reports, lawyers representing the federal government, the Punjab government, and the complainant, Hamiza Mukhtar, presented their arguments during the hearing.
Babar’s counsel, Barrister Haris Azmat, argued that the complainant had filed a baseless application in 2018 alleging sexual harassment. He added that the additional sessions judge issued the order without following proper legal procedures.
After hearing the arguments, Lahore High Court declared the sessions court’s order null and void.
Pakistani star batter Babar Azam has decided to take a short break from cricket after discussions with team management, media reports have claimed.
The management advised Babar to take some time away from matches to focus on his game, the reports have said. Following that advice, the former Pakistan captain will not take part in the ongoing National T20 Cup.
The management did not ask Babar to feature in the tournament. As a result, he informed Lahore Whites about his unavailability for the competition.
Reports also say Babar has already started working on his batting in training sessions. He has begun practicing in the nets with individual coaches as he prepares for upcoming challenges.
His current focus remains on improving his batting and getting ready for the Pakistan Super League. Reports suggest he has started working to restore aspects of his earlier batting technique.
Babar has faced criticism over his form across formats since 2023. In T20 cricket, much of the discussion has centered on his strike rate.
During the recent ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, Babar scored 91 runs in four matches at a strike rate of 128.
Despite the criticism, Babar remains one of Pakistan’s most important batters. He will return to action in the Pakistan Super League, where he will open the batting for Peshawar Zalmi.
Former Pakistan captain Babar Azam will feature in the upcoming National T20 Cup after joining the Lahore Whites squad after his omission from Pakistan’s ODI squad for the upcoming Bangladesh series.
Lahore Whites added Babar to their lineup along with fast bowler Naseem Shah ahead of the competition. The two players were not part of the squad when organisers first announced the teams and tournament schedule.
The side will play under the captaincy of Aamir Jamal. Lahore Whites also strengthened their squad with the addition of Ahmed Daniyal and Mohammad Salman.
The National T20 Cup will run from March 7 to March 18 at the Imran Khan Cricket Stadium. A total of 18 regional teams will compete for the title in 23 matches during the tournament.
The venue previously hosted nine matches of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy during October and November 2025.
Ten regional teams will take part in the competition. These include Abbottabad, Bahawalpur, Faisalabad, Peshawar, Karachi Whites, Karachi Blues, Lahore Blues, Lahore Whites, Multan and Sialkot.
Babar Azam’s participation in the domestic tournament comes shortly after he missed selection for Pakistan’s upcoming ODI series against Bangladesh national cricket team.
The decision followed Pakistan’s disappointing campaign in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) did not clarify whether Babar received a rest or faced a drop from the ODI squad. The move drew criticism from several former cricketers, who questioned the decision to leave him out of the ODI side after performances in a T20 tournament.
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced the names included in the 15-member ODI squad for the upcoming three-match series against Bangladesh, scheduled to run from March 11 to 15 in Dhaka.
All three matches will take place at the Shere Bangla National Stadium. Pakistan will arrive in Bangladesh on March 8 and hold a practice session on March 10.
The squad features significant changes. Senior batters Babar Azam and Saim Ayub have been dropped, while six uncapped players have earned their first ODI call-ups.
Left-arm pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi will continue as captain.
Among the new faces, Abdul Samad, Maaz Sadaqat, Saad Masood and Shamyl Hussain recently represented Pakistan Shaheens in the series against England Lions in Abu Dhabi.
Pakistan ODI squad vs Bangladesh:
Shaheen Shah Afridi (captain), Abdul Samad, Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Faisal Akram, Haris Rauf, Hussain Talat, Maaz Sadaqat, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Muhammad Ghazi Ghori (wk), Saad Masood, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Ali Agha and Shamyl Hussain.
Pakistan will arrive in Bangladesh on March 8, followed by a practice session on March 10. The three-match ODI series will begin on March 11 at the Shere Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka. The second ODI will be played on March 13 at the same venue, while the third and final match of the series is scheduled for March 15.
Public frustration over Pakistan’s repeated defeats against India spilled onto live television when a caller asked for a wazifa to remove former skipper Babar Azam from the national team during a Ramzan transmission.
Pakistan recently suffered three losses to India, including last year’s Asia Cup final, and then lost again to their arch-rivals at the ongoing Men’s T20 World Cup. The defeats intensified scrutiny of the team’s batting, particularly Babar’s form, in the tournament.
During the live show, a visibly frustrated fan called in and asked religious scholar Maulana Azad Jameel to suggest a “wazifa” that could lead to Babar’s removal from the team.
Reacting to the question, host Javeria Saud said, “These days this thought is in every child’s mind, how we can somehow play better cricketers.” She added, “The people of Pakistan love the country and the cricket team deeply, but whoever does not perform will face this, people will want them removed.”
Maulana Azad Jameel responded by reminding players of their responsibility to fans and the country. “When you hit a six in the ground, people sitting in their homes clap for you and learn cricket by watching you,” he said.
“Do not treat the game as just a game. It is a responsibility on your shoulders.” He further questioned the mental pressure players face against India, saying, “When you go to the ground, why does hearing the neighbouring country’s name cause panic?”
He went on to remark that the national team needs stronger mental preparation, adding that the players should draw inspiration from the discipline of Pakistan’s armed forces, which recently downed enemy aircraft during Operation Bunyan-un-Marsoos.
Babar, regarded as the backbone of Pakistan’s batting, did not feature in last year’s Asia Cup but returned for the T20 World Cup. His numbers in the tournament have failed to silence critics. He has scored 66 runs in five matches at an average of 22 and a strike rate of 115.78. In the current era of high-tempo T20 cricket, these figures have sparked sharp criticism from former players and fans alike.
Babar Azam’s stint with Sydney Sixers has come to an early end after Pakistan recalled the star batter for their upcoming international fixtures.
The former Pakistan captain will miss the remainder of the Big Bash League (BBL).
Sydney Sixers confirmed the news on social media, writing: “Thank you, Babar. Babar Azam has been recalled to join Pakistan’s national camp ahead of upcoming international fixtures. He will be unavailable for the remainder of the BBL|15 Finals Series.”
Babar expressed gratitude to the franchise in his farewell message.
“First of all, thank you so much to Sydney Sixers for having me, and to all the boys and coaches. I really enjoyed my time here, and unfortunately I have to leave the team because of national duty,” he said.
“I am taking back a lot of valuable experiences. I especially want to thank the Sydney Sixers fans who have always supported me. The encouragement and the atmosphere at the Sydney Cricket Ground were incredible. I really enjoyed that vibe.”
Babar’s BBL campaign was marred by a brief controversy involving Steve Smith during a match against Sydney Thunder. Smith refused a single to Babar in the 10th over, keeping strike for the following over where he smashed four consecutive sixes.
Babar got dismissed on the first ball after returning to strike and showed visible frustration by hitting the boundary rope with his bat.
Smith later confirmed the matter was resolved. “We have spoken to each other. Babar batted well that night. We talked about golf, as you would have seen on screen,” Smith said.
Sixers captain Moises Henriques described the incident as a cultural misunderstanding.
Babar joined Sydney Sixers for the ongoing season and scored 202 runs in 11 matches, including two fifties. He maintained a strike rate of 103.06 and averaged 22.44 during his stint with the franchise.
Pakistan will host Australia for a three-match T20 series in Lahore ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026 in India and Sri Lanka. The series kicks off on January 29, followed by matches on January 31 and February 1.
While Pakistan has not announced the official squad yet, Babar will most likely feature in the team. Reports suggest he also forms part of the primary squad Pakistan submitted to the ICC for the T20 World Cup.
England’s legendary fast bowler James Anderson has picked batsman Babar Azam as his favourite cricketer from Pakistan, surprising many by overlooking several former legends of the game.
Anderson revealed his choice during a rapid-fire segment with a sports website, where he named his preferred players from different countries.
The 41-year-old, who recently retired as Test cricket’s most successful fast bowler with 704 wickets, also selected Shane Warne from Australia, Joe Root from England, Tim Southee from New Zealand, AB de Villiers from South Africa, and Virat Kohli from India.
However, Anderson surprised many by choosing Babar Azam from Pakistan, overlooking several former legends like Younis Khan, Inzamam Ul Haq, Javed Minandad, Mohammad Yusuf and Saeed Anwar.
Babar is currently represents Sydney Sixers in the Big Bash League, where he has scored 129 runs in five matches with two half-centuries. He maintains a strike rate of 117.27 and an average of 32.25 in the tournament.
The Pakistani star has accumulated over 15,000 runs across all international formats. His 4,429 runs in T20 internationals make him the leading run-scorer in the format’s history.
Pakistan now turns its attention to the T20 World Cup 2026, which takes place in India and Sri Lanka in February.
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) have reportedly submitted a preliminary 20-member squad to the International Cricket Council (ICC) that includes Babar, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Shadab Khan.
Reports suggest former captain Mohammad Rizwan has been left out of the provisional squad, with head coach Mike Hesson favouring Usman Khan as wicketkeeper.
Shaheen earns a spot in the selection despite sustaining a knee injury, while Babar’s recent BBL performances have reportedly strengthened his case for inclusion.
Journalist Shahid Hashmi has made startling claims about the personal life of Pakistan’s star batsman Babar Azam, suggesting that his family’s pressure on marriage might be affecting his performance in the Big Bash League (BBL).
In a recent interview on a YouTube channel, Hashmi discussed the private issues he believes are impacting Babar’s form for Sydney Sixers in the ongoing BBL season.
“He has some problems. I think maybe mental problems, maybe some family problems, because we have been hearing a lot of stories that his marriage is very much on the cards,” Hashmi said. “His family, his father and mother, want him to marry his cousin. He wants to marry someone else.”
The journalist suggested the family disputes could explain Babar’s recent poor dismissals. “If these rumors are to be believed, if these reports are to be believed, maybe this problem is causing some mental issues. That’s why he’s not getting out to good balls or good bowlers, but getting out playing loose shots himself,” Hashmi explained.
Hashmi pointed to specific instances where Babar appeared mentally distracted rather than technically challenged. “We’ve seen this in international series, in the 2023 World Cup, and now in the Big Bash as well. He was trapped very smartly by Tom Curran in the latest match and got out for two or three runs. He’s not scoring runs.”
Hashmi expressed hope that Sydney Sixers coach Greg Shippard could help turn things around. He recalled Babar’s successful stint with Somerset in the Vitality Blast during 2019 and 2020, where the coach pushed him to increase his strike rate from 115-120 to 145 plus.
“He needs a good coach. Mike Hesson, when the Asia Cup squad was announced, said that Babar Azam will have an opportunity to come good, to score some runs, to gain some confidence in the Big Bash,” Hashmi noted.
However, Hashmi also pointed out that outside pressure may have disrupted the original plan. “But maybe from the outside noise, maybe some pressure from outside forced Hesson to include him in the series against South Africa in the tri-series. He scored a few runs. He played a few good innings, but overall his form, his batting was not satisfactory.”
Babar Azam currently plays for Sydney Sixers in the BBL. So far, he has scored 129 runs in 5 matches with two fifties, maintaining a strike rate of 117.27 and an average of 32.25.
Pakistan T20 captain Salman Ali Agha has reacted to his wife Saba Salman’s intriguing social media post ahead of the tri-series against Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe.
Saba, after star batter and former skipper Babar Azam’s long-pending century last week, had shared a photo of Agha hugging Babar, on her Instagram. “Some things are known only to these two. Maybe one day they will tell people, but for now, congratulations to Babar Bhai on his success. You’ll always have a true friend in Salman Ali Agha,” she wrote.
Amid speculation over the post, Agha, during a press conference on Monday, was asked about it by a journalist. What is that only you and Babar know, he asked, to which Agha smiled and replied, “The time has not come yet.”
It merits a mention that the post came after Babar scored a century in the second ODI against Sri Lanka, marking his first international ton after 83 innings.
The cryptic post and Agha’s playful response have sparked curiosity among fans, leaving many eager to know the story behind the special bond between the two cricketing stars.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is planning to bring former skipper and star batter Babar Azam back to the national squad for the upcoming T20I series against South Africa.
According to reports, the decision follows the national side’s batting struggles in the ongoing Asia Cup. Reports said that selector Aaqib Javed and head coach Mike Hesson previously supported a policy of giving opportunities to new players over established batters like Babar and Mohammad Rizwan. However, following the recent defeats against India, PCB officials have directed management to bring Babar back to the team.
A few days ago, officials even decided to send the senior batter to the UAE to join the Asia Cup squad. Organisers, however, informed the board that tournament rules prohibited squad changes unless a player sustained an injury.
Reports now claim a strong possibility of Babar’s return for the T20I series against South Africa.
Babar last played a T20 International match against South Africa in December. Since then, selectors have kept him out of the squad, citing concerns over his strike rate.
It may be noted that he is the second-highest run-scorer in T20 history (4,223 runs) globally, trailing only behind India’s Rohit Sharma. He also boasts the second-most fifties in T20I career history, among other significant records.
