England vs Pakistan T20I: Mike Hesson’s Big Call on Babar’s Role

England against Pakistan is invariably a very tight match, and this one has something different: Pakistan aren’t simply choosing eleven players, they’re choosing a whole way to bat. Mike Hesson has firmly decided on Babar Azam as someone to steady the middle overs, even though a lot of people would rather he went in as a powerplay hitter.

Match context and batting approach

The England versus Pakistan T20 International at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium begins at 7pm on Tuesday, February 24th, 2026, and falls at a point where England are winning, though not playing at their best. Pakistan, in the meantime, are aiming to win with a bowling attack which is almost entirely spin, and a batting lineup which has been arranged with Babar at its centre.

Babar Azam at number four

Hesson’s “major decision” is straightforward enough: Babar at number four, not at the start. The reason for this is better than the talk around it, as it’s based on who the opposition bowlers are, how quickly the powerplay goes, and who will finish the innings.

If the pitch behaves as it often does at Pallekele, it won’t be a chase of 140. It’s likely to be a contest of 165 or more, where your slower overs can lose you the game, and how you deal with spin could be what wins it for you.

What matters most in this England versus Pakistan T20I isn’t just how the teams are playing, it’s what job each player has. England have built their batting around hitting pace in the powerplay and finding boundaries in the middle of the innings. Pakistan are trying to combine a spin-based bowling attack with a batting order which can change speed without losing a lot of wickets at once.

Hesson’s logic for having Babar at number four begins with a direct look at how much risk there is. Pakistan don’t want Babar to be using up the powerplay just getting ones and twos when the team needs over fifty in the first six overs on a good pitch.

In this tournament, Babar’s scores have been 15, 46, and 5, and the greater problem has been the speed of his batting, not how many runs he’s scored. His strike rate has been in the awkward range for a modern top order, the sort which makes the later hitters have to chase the required rate.

Therefore Pakistan have put him in a job which looks old-fashioned, but can still win you matches: come in when two wickets have gone early, stop a collapse, then increase the speed once he’s settled. Hesson has even explained his team choices around this, pointing to games where Pakistan chose players to finish the innings instead of sending Babar in “as normal” when a wicket fell.

The real point is having faith in his skills. In this plan, Babar’s worth is his ability to choose the right shots, and to keep his wicket against spin in the seventh to fifteenth overs, when teams frequently lose their shape. Pakistan are hoping that his calm scoring will lower the pressure on the final overs.

The danger Pakistan accept

Each job has a cost. If Babar bats at number four, Pakistan need their openers and number three to give the early attack almost every game. A slow start becomes harder to put right as the anchor is no longer the opener, he’s the mid-innings support.

There’s a further danger: if the top order does well and you’re 90 for 1 after ten overs, Babar could arrive too late, or be forced into a quick scoring role he doesn’t usually play. That could create the very criticism Pakistan are trying to avoid: a batter caught between controlling an innings and finishing it.

This is why the players who aren’t in the headlines matter more than the headlines themselves. Pakistan’s best team needs at least two of Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Ali Agha, and the wicketkeeper-batter to score at 140 or more at the start, so Babar can find the gaps and still keep the run rate going.

England’s problem against spin

England’s record says they’re okay. What you see with your eyes says they’re not comfortable against turning balls, especially when spinners bowl with force and make batters have to create shots.

England have faced a lot of spin in this World Cup, and have lost a similar number of wickets to it. Jacob Bethell’s dismissals have all come against spin, and Harry Brook has repeatedly been beaten by it during the tournament.

This is important as Pakistan are not afraid to go completely into spin mode. They’ve bowled spin more than anyone else in the competition, and in one important game ran a long spell of spin overs without stopping. At Pallekele, with grip and large square boundaries at times, that plan could change from brave to cruel.

England’s answer is clear: sweep shots, use the crease, and take the straight boundary when it’s there. The question is whether they can do it without losing two wickets at once, as that’s when Pakistan’s spinners begin to bowl as if they own the night.

Pallekele conditions: speed meets control

Pallekele has a reputation for being good for batting, with first innings scores often being in the 160s. The ball can skid on under the lights, and mis-hits carry if the outfield is quick.

However, it’s not a totally flat pitch every night. If there’s any stickiness or the ball grips, spinners who change pace can control the middle overs. That is exactly where Pakistan want the match to be.

For England, the best plan is to show intent from the start without being reckless. If Salt and Buttler get 55 in six overs with only one wicket down, Pakistan’s spinners are forced into defensive bowling and protecting the boundaries. If England start at 40 for 2, the game changes as Pakistan can use spin and slow the scoring. England have been better in this rivalry lately – in both series and big tournaments – and that shows in their calm handling of tricky run chases. The overall head-to-head record favours England.

Pakistan’s strength is different; they can make a game a contest of tactics as much as hitting, and England don’t always seem at ease when a match is about what you do rather than just how hard you hit the ball. For Indian followers of the game, it’s the same as seeing an IPL team which relies on power and good combinations of bowlers and batters, play a team which wins by controlling the stages of the game and using clever bowling changes. In matches like these, the captain who best understands the middle overs often looks like the most clever person in the ground.

Individual battles which decide game

Winning plans for both teams

What “Babar at No. 4” looks like in a Pakistan innings which wins

Pakistan’s best plan is simple. One opener goes for their shots, one plays a longer innings, and the No. 3 keeps the pressure on, so Babar can come in with room to play his game.

If that happens, Babar can start at a run a ball for ten balls, then speed up to 130–140 without taking silly risks. That speed of scoring is what makes his role good, because it means they still have wickets left for the last five overs.

If Pakistan get to the last five overs with seven wickets left, they can finish like a modern team. If they get there with five wickets down, the innings can slow down, and the focus goes back to the choice of Babar’s batting position.

England’s way to winning: win two phases, not all four

England don’t have to be good in every over. They only need to win two of the four important parts of the game: the powerplay with the bat, the middle overs with the ball, the middle overs with the bat, and the death overs with the ball.

Pakistan’s plan of using a lot of spin bowling makes the middle overs the most important part. If England can score at eight an over between overs 7–15 and only lose one wicket, Pakistan’s bowling plan won’t be very good. England then get the death overs they want, with fast bowlers forced to bowl under pressure.

If Pakistan get England to 60 for 3 after ten overs, it changes. England then have to rebuild, and rebuilding against five spin bowling options is where getting scoring shots becomes hard.

Selection choices which seem small

England’s team often comes down to choosing one more fast bowler or one more spin bowler, and Pallekele can tempt teams into picking for the conditions rather than how they want to play. If England don’t think seam bowling will get much help, they may choose more spin control and batting strength.

Pakistan have their own choices. Their bowling is based on spin, but they still need fast bowlers who can bowl yorkers when the ball is wet or slides on the pitch. If their fast bowlers bowl the wrong length, England’s batters can take the match away in two overs.

Fitness and fielding are important too. In a close match, saving ten runs in the field can be the difference between defending 165 and watching someone chase it down with an over left.

Important points

• Mike Hesson has supported Babar Azam at No. 4 to protect Pakistan’s middle overs, choosing stability over hitting hard in the powerplay.
• Pakistan’s bowling plan relies a lot on spin, and England’s batting has looked most uncomfortable when spinners control overs 7–15.
• Pallekele often gives good results to batting teams, with first innings scores around the mid 160s, so slow overs with the bat can quickly become overs which lose you the match.
• England’s best way is a good powerplay plus easily turning the ball against spin; Pakistan’s best way is early wickets and long spells of spin pressure.

Conclusion

This England versus Pakistan T20I is less about who is the better team on paper and more about how well people do their jobs when under pressure. Pakistan are asking Babar to win the battle of the middle overs in his own way, and England are trying to keep their aggressive style without giving wickets to spin bowling.

Watch the first ten overs closely. If Pakistan have England two or three wickets down, Hesson’s whole plan looks cleverer. If England are doing well with wickets in hand, the argument moves from Babar’s position to whether anyone can stop England from chasing the score very quickly.