Overview
- Babar Azam made 15 off 18 balls at No.4 in Pakistan’s three‑wicket win over the Netherlands in Colombo.
- Ricky Ponting said Babar appears to have lost some power and warned that slow starts shift pressure onto partners.
- Ponting urged Pakistan to consider moving Babar to No.3 to exploit powerplay fielding restrictions.
- Ravi Shastri said Babar is carrying a weight of expectation and challenged him to seek boundaries early in his innings.
- No change has been announced, but pundits say Pakistan must decide on Babar’s role before the USA game, with recent form data including a BBL strike rate near 103 and alternatives like Fakhar Zaman noted in coverage.