Pakistan has revealed its 17-man T20I team for the Asia Cup 2025 in the UAE, along with the tri-series against Afghanistan and the UAE. The major talking point is that Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, two of Pakistan’s most seasoned batters, once again miss out on the shortest form of the game.
Fakhar Zaman Returns After Injury
Fakhar Zaman, who was injured by a hamstring problem in early August, has regained his fitness and has been picked for the side. His return makes Pakistan’s attacking top-order batting strategy more potent.
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Why Babar Azam Misses Out
Former skipper Babar Azam was last seen in a T20I in December 2024. Though he played some dominant knocks for Peshawar Zalmi in PSL 2025, 94, 56*, and 53*, his overall strike rate of 128.57 was felt to be below par for contemporary T20 cricket.
In the recently concluded ODI series against the West Indies, Babar scored 47, 0, and 9. Pakistan head coach Mike Hesson said that Babar has been tasked with increasing his T20 strike rate and his play against spin.
“Babar is working hard on those aspects. He gets a chance to play in competitions such as the BBL to prove himself. He’s too good a player not to be considered in the future,” Hesson added.
Mohammad Rizwan Also Misses Out
Similar to Babar, Mohammad Rizwan has not been included in Pakistan’s recent T20I teams. Although he scored 53 in the first ODI against the West Indies, his performance declined in the subsequent matches with 16 and 0. The selectors have preferred other in-form batsmen in the T20 team.
Pakistan’s Aggressive Approach in T20 Cricket
Mike Hesson reaffirmed that Pakistan will stick with a top-heavy, aggressive approach in T20 cricket. The team has been successful with openers such as Sahibzada Farhan, who has already collected three Player of the Match awards in half a dozen games.
“T20 is about establishing the tempo early. Our openers have established that nicely, particularly with stands like the 138-run one in the West Indies. That is the strategy we would like to maintain,” Hesson further stated.
Major Inclusions and Exclusions
Shaheen Afridi is back after missing the previous T20I teams, while Naseem Shah is omitted since he still appears in the CPL. \Top wicket-taker of the T20I series against Bangladesh, Salman Mirza, has been rewarded with a recall. The wrist-spinners Abrar Ahmed and Sufiyan Muqeem have also been kept in for variety.
Pakistan Squad for Asia Cup 2025 and UAE Tri-Series
Salman Agha (captain)
Abrar Ahmed
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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 Shah Afridi
Sufiyan Muqeem
Pakistan’s Record in the T20 Asia Cup
Pakistan has never been victorious in the T20 version of the Asia Cup. Their best result was in 2022, where they were runners-up. With a new team and a more aggressive batting plan, Pakistan will seek to alter their destiny in the Asia Cup 2025.
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