Pakistan Drops Babar Azam and Rizwan for Asia Cup 2025 and UAE T20 Tri-Series, Salman Ali Agha to Lead
Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan have been dropped from Pakistan's squad for the upcoming UAE T20 Tri-Series and the Asia Cup 2025. Salman Ali Agha will take on the role of captain for the first time in a major tournament. Both Babar and Rizwan have not featured in Pakistan’s T20 setup since December last year, when they played against South Africa. Mike Hesson, Pakistan’s new head coach explained their exclusion by pointing to their low strike rates.
In addition to Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, Naseem Shah has also been excluded from Pakistan’s squad. He is currently playing in the Caribbean Premier League and will not be part of the upcoming UAE T20 Tri-Series or the Asia Cup 2025.
“Babar Azam is asked to improve in certain areas like playing against spin and improving his strike rate,” said Pakistan’s white-ball head coach Mike Hesson.
Shaheen Shah Afridi, the highest wicket-taker in the Pakistan Super League 2025, has been included in the squad along with Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali and young Salman Mirza. Fakhar Zaman and Mohammad Wasim Jr. are making their return to the team. Fakhar, who had been sidelined with a hamstring injury, is back in the squad, while Wasim, who missed the last two series against Bangladesh and the West Indies due to a side strain has passed his fitness test at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore. Pakistan is also relying on young players like Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub and Hasan Nawaz to step up in the upcoming continental tournament.
“Our current squad is performing really well. Sahibzada Farhan, for example, has played six matches and earned three Player of the Match awards. Saim and Fakhar have also been impressive. What we want are players who can deliver with real impact,” Hesson added.
Mohammad Haris will be the designated wicketkeeper-batter for Pakistan with Sahibzada Farhan also available as an alternative keeping option. For the all-rounder roles, Pakistan has picked Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Nawaz, Hussain Talat and Khushdil Shah. The squad also includes two specialist spinners, Abrar Ahmed and Sufiyan Muqeem, in a pace-heavy lineup.
Pakistan Squad for Asia Cup 2025
Salman Ali Agha (c), Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Waseem Jnr, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Mirza, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Sufyan Moqim.
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