LAHORE – August 17, 2025:
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced a 17-member T20I squad for the upcoming Asia Cup and a tri-nation series in the United Arab Emirates — and once again, former captains Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan have been left out.
The squad will be led by middle-order batter Salman Agha, who has been entrusted with the captaincy for both the tri-series — featuring Afghanistan and the UAE from August 29 to September 7 in Sharjah — and the Asia Cup, which runs from September 9 to 28 in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
The exclusion of Babar and Rizwan, who last featured in a T20I in December 2024, marks a continued absence across multiple series under the leadership of head coach Mike Hesson.
Both players were also overlooked for the T20I leg of the recent West Indies tour, where Pakistan suffered a 2-1 series defeat. While the duo was included in the ODI squad, they failed to leave a mark, contributing to Pakistan’s first ODI series loss to the West Indies since 1991.
Addressing the media in Lahore, Chief Selector and Director of the High Performance Centre Aqib Javed addressed the omission of the experienced batters.
“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.”
Javed emphasized that the final squad was selected in consultation with the team management and captain, with recent performance being the primary consideration.
The squad features several experienced campaigners, including pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi and batter Fakhar Zaman — the latter making a comeback following a hamstring injury. Promising young talents Saim Ayub and Sahibzada Farhan have also retained their places after consistent showings in recent outings.
Read More : Pakistan Announces Squad for T20 Tri-Series and Asia Cup
