Babar didn’t feature in the ODI squad for the ongoing three-match series against Bangladesh.
Aaqib also claimed that Babar wanted to play in the domestic T20 tournament, but the injury prevented him from doing so. He also threw head coach Mike Hesson and the physio under the bus for seemingly not managing the senior batter during the ICC event
Besides Babar, Fakhar Zaman also suffered an injury during the showpiece tournament, where Pakistan failed to go beyond the Super 8 stage.
During a press conference in Lahore, Aaqib said the selection committee had requested the PCB to investigate how both players sustained injuries and why the issue only came to light after the tournament.
“Babar Azam faced an injury during the T20 World Cup. When he came back from Sri Lanka, our doctors have a look at him. His injury is preventing him from playing in the National T20. He wanted to play, but the injury is not letting him do so,” Aaqib told reporters on Saturday.
“We are requesting the PCB. We have asked for an inquiry to be done. How can it happen that both Fakhar and Babar are unfit? After the World Cup, have we learned about the injuries to these two players? I just want to know whether the team management wasn't looking after their injuries? Were they fully fit? We selectors should know about this, but when the players go for the World Cup, their health issues and injury concerns should be looked after by the head coach and the physio. We should know about it,” he added.
Pakistan kicked off their T20 World Cup campaign on a nervy note, almost enduring a loss against the Netherlands. The team then defeated the USA but were crushed by arch-rivals India.
The Salman Ali Agha-led side went on to defeat Namibia in their last Group A clash and qualify for the Super 8s. Their opening fixture against New Zealand in the Super 8s was washed out, forcing both teams to share points. Following this, they endured a loss against England, which left their fate hanging as far as the contention for semifinals were concerned.
Although England’s win over New Zealand gave Pakistan hope, they failed to make it count against co-hosts Sri Lanka. The 2009 champions won the match but couldn’t overtake the Kiwis on Net Run Rate to enter the semis.
Aaqib Javed defended Pakistan's underwhelming performance in the T20 World Cup, saying the team was knocked out after only one loss in the Super 8s.
“We won the Test series against England, which no one expected. In Australia, we won the ODI series after 27 years, and after that, we beat South Africa 3–0, something no one had done before. We also fought well in the Test series. In the 2025 Champions Trophy, there was an incident, but before that, the team’s performance was going fine,” Aaqib stated.
“Even now, if you look at it, we have won series against South Africa, Australia and Sri Lanka. Not being able to beat India in the World Cup is not an excuse; the result there is 8–0, and even the world’s best captains have played from 1975 to 2026, so set that aside. In the Super 8 stage, one match was washed out by rain, and we lost one; nothing else happened. Against Sri Lanka, winning by that margin wasn’t achievable. We lost only one match. We were eliminated only on net run rate. Making it such a huge issue is too much. It’s a big issue, but not so big that our cricket is destroyed or that we can’t compete anywhere in the world,” he remarked.