"He Needs to Improve Strike Rate and Take on Spin": Mike Hesson Explains Babar Azam’s Exclusion

For nearly a decade, Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan were the pillars of Pakistan’s batting, with their opening partnerships providing much-needed stability. But as Pakistan gears up for important matches ahead of the T20 World Cup in early 2026, both players are now on the outside. The big news came when the PCB selectors left both Babar and Rizwan out of the Asia Cup 2025 squad. Now, coach Mike Hesson has explained what it will take for them to get back into the team.

Neither Babar Azam nor Mohammad Rizwan has played T20Is recently, with Salman Agha now named captain. However, with a major tournament coming up, it was expected that one of them might make a comeback, given their status as top run-scorers for Pakistan in T20Is. But that didn't happen.

Defending the decision to leave Babar out, Hesson explained at the press conference that the right-handed batter needs to work on improving his strike rate. He added that the next Big Bash League (BBL) could be a good opportunity for Babar to show those improvements.

"There's no doubt Babar's been asked to improve in some areas around taking on spin and in terms of his strike rate," Hesson said.

"Those are things he's working really hard on. But at the moment the players we have, have done exceptionally well. Sahibzada Farhan has played six games and won three player-of-the-match awards." Hesson added.

“A player like Babar also has the opportunity to play in the BBL and showcase improvements in those areas of T20 cricket. He’s simply too good a player for us not to consider,” Hesson said.

Later, Hesson took to X and Instagram to explain the reasoning behind the Pakistan squad selected for the Asia Cup. The New Zealand coach mentioned that they’ve chosen a “highly competitive squad” featuring a mix of experienced players and fresh talent.

“We’ve put together what we believe is a highly competitive squad following the recent T20I series. Excited to see some fresh faces stepping up alongside our experienced senior players. A great blend of energy & experience for the Tri-Nation series & Asia Cup,” Hesson wrote on Instagram.

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