Pakistan skipper under pressure ahead of must-win clash against Proteas

Babar Azam was supposed to lead Pakistan to Twenty20 World Cup glory but his side are on the brink of an early exit and the usually inspirational skipper is facing growing questions about his batting and leadership.

Azam scored the most runs at last year's World Cup in taking his country to the semi-finals, where they lost to eventual champions Australia.

But the player ranked among the best batsmen in the world has scored just eight runs in three matches so far in Australia.

He got out for a first-ball duck in Pakistan's agonising last-ball defeat to arch-rivals India in their first game of the tournament.

The 28-year-old Azam then made four as the team lost by one run against Zimbabwe in a shock defeat.

Pakistan finally managed a win over the Netherlands in their third Super 12 match on Sunday, but they lost four wickets including Azam run out on four while chasing 91.

They play South Africa on Thursday in Sydney and must win their remaining two matches and hope other results go their way to stand any chance of making the semi-finals.

Azam's struggles have reflected a wider malaise among the Pakistani batsmen at the World Cup.

"Even when they score runs, why we lose? Because of the way they score runs," said former captain Waqar Younis, also taking aim at Azam's opening partner Mohammad Rizwan, referring to their scoring rates.

The strike rates of Babar 129.19 and Rizwan (127.11) are below some other T20 openers including South Africa's Quinton de Kock (136.14) and Indian skipper Rohit Sharma (140.13).

Azam was ranked the leading batsman in the world in T20 international cricket before being displaced by Rizwan during the Asia Cup in September.

Azam has since slipped to fourth but still holds the top position in the ODI chart.

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