Pakistani star batter Babar Azam faces an unusual challenge from his former teammates as Pakistan prepares for their crucial T20 World Cup encounter against India in Colombo on February 15.

 

During a TV program, Ahmed Shehzad and Mohammad Amir set specific conditions they would fulfill if Babar delivers a match-winning performance against India. The stakes came with precise numbers attached to the former captain's potential innings.

 

Shehzad promised to provide free food for the entire crowd gathered at the show if Babar plays a decisive knock against India. "The crowd coordinator won't have to get food that day. The whole team will get food," Shehzad said during the program.

 

The conversation took an interesting turn when the show's anchor, speaking on behalf of Amir, raised the bar further. The anchor suggested that the left-arm pacer would reverse his retirement decision if Babar scores big with a strike rate of 160. "If Babar, let's say, with a strike rate of 160... Yes. Keep it like that. If he plays innings with a strike rate of 160 and helps Pakistan win, Amir will take his retirement back. If he plays big innings with a strike rate of 160, then," the anchor stated.

 

Shehzad intervened to adjust the conditions to more realistic terms. "Let's be realistic. If he plays a match-winning inning with a strike rate of 150 and scores 50 plus, then all these conditions are on," the former opener proposed. Amir quickly agreed to the revised challenge.

 

Former cricketer Rashid Latif added a humorous twist to the discussion, questioning whether Babar typically bats long enough to meet those conditions. "He never bats that long anyway, so change all these bets," Latif remarked, drawing laughter from everyone present.

 

Babar's record against India in T20 Internationals shows five matches with 105 runs at an average of 26.25 and a strike rate of 128.05. 

 

His best performance came in the 2021 World Cup when he scored 68 runs, helping Pakistan secure their only World Cup victory over India across both ODI and T20I formats with a 10-wicket win.