Pakistan drops Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan from Asia Cup 2025 Squad

No Babar and Riwan in Asia Cup Squad

Pakistan’s squad for the Asia Cup 2025 had notable players missing. Led by Salman Ali Agha, the team did not have the senior batters, Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, in the team. The omissions of both Babar and Rizwan might not have been a big surprise, given that the two players were not part of the recent T20I squads. The last game for each of the two batters in the format came in December 2024. Both batters have had struggles with their strike rate, and as the game continues to modernize, it is becoming harder to have players of their skillset to be in the team. 

Pakistan’s Squad: Salman Agha (C), Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Mirza, Shaheen Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem

What does Mike Hesson have to say?

Pakistan's new limited-overs coach Mike Hesson has revealed the steps that veteran duo Babar Azam and Shaheen Shah Afridi will have to take to make a comeback in the T20I team. He has dismissed speculation about the former Pakistan captain's inclusion in the team as a wicketkeeper as a rumour.

Babar and Shaheen played a key role in Pakistan's consecutive berths in the knockout stages of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup in 2021 and 2022. However, they have been out of the T20 squad recently and were not even in Hesson's first team that beat Bangladesh 3-0 on home soil early last month. The preparations for the Asia Cup have already begun for Pakistan.

Hesson said both Babar and Shaheen are in his long-term plans for the T20 World Cup to be held in India and Sri Lanka next year. Both are currently attending a training camp with their teammates in Karachi. These teammates will travel to Bangladesh for the three-match T20 series in Mirpur later this month.

Babar to return as an opener

Hesson clarified that Babar's return to the team was not due to him being the first-choice wicketkeeper, but with the former captain competing for one of the two spots as an opener with his fellow top-order batsmen Fakhar Zaman and Saim Ayub.

Hesson said, "First of all, Babar Azam is not being seen as a wicketkeeping option. I don't know where it came from, but I have heard this speculation. Babar is currently competing for one of the openers. But obviously at the moment we have both Fakhar and Sam in these two roles, so he is competing for it."

Babar has a strike rate of 129.81 in T20I cricket, which is lower than Fakhar (133.49) and Ayub (138.48). Hesson admitted that the right-handed batsman needs to increase his run rate to remain relevant in the shorter format.

Strike rate an issue for the former skipper

Hesson said, "There is no doubt that strike rate is important in T20 cricket, but you have to combine it with the number of runs. There is a good reason why we are ranked so low in T20 cricket, because our strike rate is not that good in terms of batting. We definitely made some changes in the last series so that we can play a wide game of cricket and maybe catch up with the rest of the world, because that is what the modern game is like."

"Babar is one of many guys who have the ability to make these improvements. And I am here to work with him and help him. He has made some really good changes in the last one to two months. It is not just about going from 125 to 150, but about maximising what you can give because we often fall short by 30-40 runs with the bat. So, we have to find a way to achieve that."

Babar can replace Fakhar Zaman

Amid growing concerns over Fakhar Zaman’s fitness, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is contemplating bringing former captain Babar Azam back into the national squad for the upcoming tri-nation series and the Asia Cup 2025. Fakhar injured his hamstring during Pakistan’s recent T20I series against the West Indies, ruling him out of both the T20I and ODI contests against the Caribbean team.

Should Fakhar fail to regain match fitness ahead of the Asia Cup, Babar Azam is seen as the leading candidate to return to the squad. However, his inclusion is not guaranteed; sources clarify that Babar’s spot hinges on his showing in the upcoming ODI series against the West Indies. A strong performance could cement his comeback into the national setup for the high-stakes regional event.

Hesson on Shaheen Afridi

Hesson didn't specify the areas he would like Afridi to improve on, but suggested the left-arm bowler needs to do better with the white ball.

Hesson said, "Shaheen Shah Afridi is a world-class player. There is no doubt that we have identified some areas that Shaheen needs to work on, as every player in this camp is doing."

He further added, "But there is a good reason for him and all the other players to be in this camp. They are part of the wider spectrum of Pakistan in white-ball cricket, and that includes T20 cricket as well."

Hesson said, "Players go through good times, and there are times when they lag behind in their game. And as a coaching staff, it is our responsibility to put our best players on the field and make them better so that when they play for Pakistan, they perform better."

"We definitely don't underestimate the good players, but we try to work with them so that they can come back stronger," the Pakistan coach said.

Pakistan is expected to announce Asia Cup squad next week

The final squad for the Asia Cup is scheduled to be announced in the second week of August. The Asia Cup tournament kicks off on September 9, 2025, with a Group B opener between Afghanistan and Hong Kong. Eight teams are divided across two groups: Pakistan, India, UAE, and Oman occupy Group A; Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, and Hong Kong make up Group B.

If Babar is officially recalled, his presence is expected to provide experience and composure at the top of the order—an asset in pressure situations that are the hallmark of continental tournaments. Analysts and fans alike will be watching his ODI performance closely, as it could determine not just his return for the Asia Cup, but also his role in Pakistan’s white-ball future.