Pakistan’s Asia Cup squad | Coach Mike Hesson reveals why Babar Azam was left out: ‘Asked to improve in some areas’ | Cricket News
NEW DELHI: Pakistan on Sunday announced a 17-member squad for the triangular T20I series in Sharjah and the Asia Cup in the UAE, leaving out stalwarts Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan. The decision underlined a shift in strategy, with the selectors preferring aggressive batters Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan and Fakhar Zaman.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Neither Babar nor Rizwan has featured in a T20 international since December 2024, when Pakistan faced South Africa. While both remain among the country’s premier batting talents, head coach Mike Hesson admitted that Babar has been asked to sharpen specific aspects of his game to reclaim his spot.
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“There’s no doubt Babar has been asked to improve in some areas, particularly against spin and in terms of his strike-rate,” Hesson told reporters at the squad unveiling. “Those are aspects I know he’s working very hard on at the moment.”Babar is set to represent Adelaide Strikers in the Big Bash League later this year, an opportunity Hesson sees as crucial to the batter’s comeback trail. “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,” the coach stressed.Since Hesson took charge of Pakistan’s white-ball set-up, the side has shown mixed results — winning T20 series against Bangladesh and West Indies but also suffering a series defeat in Bangladesh. More worryingly, the West Indies recorded their first bilateral ODI series win over Pakistan in 34 years. Babar, meanwhile, endured a lean run with scores of 47, 0 and 9 in that ODI rubber.While praising the in-form trio of Ayub, Farhan and Zaman, Hesson reiterated that Babar’s quality cannot be overlooked. “At the moment, the players we have are performing exceptionally well. But Babar has every chance to return by proving his game has evolved.”Pakistan will first contest a triangular T20 series involving Afghanistan and the UAE (Aug. 29–Sept. 7 in Sharjah) before heading into the Asia Cup (Sept. 9–28 in Dubai and Abu Dhabi).
Pakistan’s squad for Asia Cup 2025
- Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan, Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Haris, Salman Ali Agha (captain), Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Faheem Ashraf, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim, Salman Mirza, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Sufiyan Muqeem, Abrar Ahmed.
