Salman Ali Agha’s intent lights up number 3, but where does Babar Azam fit in?

Pakistan’s second T20I against Australia gave us a lot to cheer about, but it also quietly reopened a debate that never really goes away in Pakistani cricket: who owns the No. 3 spot in T20Is, and at what cost?

Let’s start with the positive, because it deserves full credit.

Salman Ali Agha at number three has been sensational.

Not just good. Not just promising. Match-defining.

In today’s second T20I against Australia, Salman played a knock that screamed modern T20 intent. 76 off 40 balls, strike rate 190, attacking from ball one, taking the game away before Australia could even settle. This wasn’t reckless hitting, it was controlled aggression, clear game awareness, and fearless execution.

And this isn’t a one-off.

In his last three innings at No. 3 for Pakistan:

• 45 off just 12 balls vs Sri Lanka

• 39 off 27 balls vs Australia in the first T20I

• 76 off 40 balls vs Australia in the second T20I

That’s consistency with intent, something Pakistan has been crying out for in T20 cricket. Salman Ali Agha isn’t just filling a position, he’s redefining how Pakistan bats at number three in this format. The tempo he sets allows the rest of the lineup to play with freedom, and for once, Pakistan looks like a team playing modern T20 cricket, not chasing it.

As fans, we must appreciate that. Fully.

But here’s where the discomfort kicks in, and it’s impossible to ignore.

Number three in T20 internationals has always belonged to Babar Azam.

That’s not sentiment. That’s history.

Now, because Salman Ali Agha is captain and in red-hot form, Babar Azam is being pushed to number four, a position that clearly doesn’t suit him. In both the first and second T20Is against Australia, Babar struggled to find rhythm. The timing, the fluency, the control, it all looks forced.

And this isn’t new.

In the Champions Trophy 2025, Babar was forced to open the innings for Pakistan.

Now, just months before the T20 World Cup 2026, he’s being asked to reinvent himself again at number four.

For a player of Babar Azam’s calibre, this constant positional shifting raises serious questions. How do you expect your premier batter to deliver when he’s never allowed to settle? How long can a team keep moving its best asset around to accommodate tactical experiments?

This is not an argument against Salman Ali Agha, far from it. What Salman is doing right now is exactly what Pakistan needs. Aggression, confidence, clarity. He deserves his place at number three on merit.

But the bigger concern, the one every Pakistani cricket fan is quietly asking is this:

What is the long-term plan for Babar Azam in T20 internationals?

Is he still the centerpiece, or is he slowly becoming a puzzle Pakistan hasn’t solved yet?

Pakistan finally seems to have found intent at the top. Now the challenge is ensuring that in fixing one problem, we don’t create another, especially when it involves one of the greatest batters this country has ever produced.

Because form can rise and fall.

Roles can be adjusted.

But mismanaging a generational player can cost you tournaments.

And with the T20 World Cup 2026 approaching fast, Pakistan can’t afford confusion, not at number three, and certainly not around Babar Azam.