Asia Cup 2025: Pakistan drop bombshell – Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan axed from 17-member squad | Cricket News

Pakistan’s Hasan Ali, center, celebrates after taking the wicket of West Indies’ Sherfane Rutherford during the third Twenty20 cricket match Sunday, Aug. 3, 2025, in Lauderhill, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Pakistan has dropped a bombshell ahead of the Asia Cup 2025 with the exclusion of two of their biggest names — Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Sunday unveiled a 17-member squad for the high-stakes tournament as well as the T20I tri-series and Asia Cup scheduled to take place in the UAE from 29 August to 28 September. The tri-series, featuring Afghanistan, Pakistan and the UAE, will be played at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium from 29 August to 7 September.

The eight-team ACC Asia Cup T20I tournament will be staged in Abu Dhabi and Dubai from 9 to 28 September. Pakistan are placed in Group ‘A’ alongside India, Oman and the UAE.Salman Ali Agha has been named captain of Pakistan for the upcoming tri-series in the UAE, followed by the Asia Cup, which will also be held in the UAE.

The 17-member squad features senior names such as Fakhar Zaman, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali and Faheem Ashraf, while youngsters like Saim Ayub, Hasan Nawaz and Mohammad Haris have also been included, giving them an opportunity to showcase their talent on the big stage.Pakistan squad: 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.

📅 Tri-Series 2025 Schedule (Sharjah Cricket Stadium)

📅 Asia Cup T20 2025 – Pakistan Fixtures