Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan and Shaheen Shah Afridi are pictured together during the ICC T20 World Cup 2022. Photo: AFP/File
Former captains Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan have once again been left out of Pakistan’s T20I squad, as the Pakistan Cricket Board on Sunday announced a 17-member team for the Asia Cup and a tri-nation series in the United Arab Emirates.
The squad will be led by Salman Agha for both the tri-series involving Afghanistan and the UAE from August 29 to September 7 in Sharjah, and the Asia Cup, which will be held in Abu Dhabi and Dubai from September 9 to 28.
The exclusion of Babar and Rizwan, who last featured in a T20I in December 2024, has now extended across multiple series under head coach Mike Hesson.
Both players were also overlooked for the T20I leg of the West Indies tour earlier this month, where Pakistan lost the series 2-1. They were part of the ODI squad but failed to make an impact, with Pakistan suffering their first series defeat against the West Indies since 1991.
Speaking at a press conference in Lahore, Chief Selector and Director High Performance Centre Aqib Javed clarified that the door remains open for the experienced duo.
“We are not saying Babar and Rizwan will never return to the T20 squad,” he said. “Whoever performs will be considered for selection. Discussions have taken place with both players, and they’ve been given guidance on areas to improve.”
He added that the squad was finalised after consultation with the team management, including the captain, and stressed that recent performance was the primary selection criterion.
The selected squad includes familiar names such as Shaheen Shah Afridi and Fakhar Zaman — the latter making a return after a hamstring injury. Emerging players Saim Ayub and Sahibzada Farhan, both of whom have shown notable improvement, have also retained their places.
Head coach Mike Hesson expressed satisfaction with the team’s recent trajectory.
“The team has been performing well in the T20 format, winning six of our last nine matches,” he said. “One of the losses came on the final ball. Our focus is on winning — and doing it consistently.”
Pakistan will kick off their Asia Cup Group A campaign against Oman on September 12 in Dubai, followed by a high-profile clash against India on September 14 at the same venue.
Pakistan squad:
Salman Agha (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Mirza, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufyan Moqim.