Pakistan have named a 17-man T20 squad for next month’s Asia Cup in the UAE – and it does not include either Babar Azam or Mohammad Rizwan. Salman Agha will captain the side, which will also contest a short tri-series against the hosts and Afghanistan in the build-up.
Fakhar Zaman, sidelined by a hamstring strain during the first week of August, has recovered in time and returns to the top order. Left-arm quick Shaheen Afridi keeps his place after a stop-start period in T20 cricket, but Naseem Shah misses out once again and is currently turning out in the Caribbean Premier League.
Head coach Mike Hesson insisted the door is not closed on either Babar or Rizwan, yet made it clear what he expects if they are to reclaim a T20 shirt. “I think it’s really harsh to challenge a player on their form on three games,” Hesson said at Tuesday’s press conference. “Babar played nicely in the first ODI but missed out on the next two. There’s no doubt Babar’s been asked to improve in some areas around taking on spin and in terms of his strike rate. Those are things he’s working really hard on.”
Hesson argued that the current group had earned the right to stay together. “But at the moment, the players we have have done exceptionally well. Sahibzada Farhan has played six games and won three Player of the Match awards. A player like Babar has an opportunity to play in the BBL and show he’s improving in those areas in T20s. He’s too good a player not to consider.”
Form – or the lack of it – explains much of the thinking. Babar’s most recent T20I was back in December 2024. During the 2025 Pakistan Super League he scored 288 runs in ten innings for Peshawar Zalmi, striking at 128.57, with three half-centuries (56, 53 and 94). In the ODI series in the Caribbean earlier this month he managed 47, 0 and 9.
Rizwan’s numbers have followed a similar curve. The wicketkeeper-batter has been overlooked since the home series against Bangladesh at the start of the summer. His 53 in the first ODI against West Indies was followed by 16 and a duck.
Selection convenor Wahab Riaz admitted there had been debate, but said the balance of the squad and its recent success counted for plenty. The side won away in Bangladesh and shared honours 1-1 in the West Indies despite tricky batting surfaces. “We want to stay aggressive and top-heavy,” he said, echoing Hesson’s preferred method.
That approach again shapes the bowling unit. Afridi provides the left-arm angle, while Lahore Qalandars’ right-armer Salman Mirza – Pakistan’s leading wicket-taker in the Bangladesh series with eight – retains his place. Fellow quick Ahmed Daniyal drops out. Both wrist-spinners, Abrar Ahmed and Sufiyan Muqeem, continue after tidy performances across the past three series.
Hesson expanded on how Pakistan intend to play. “We were challenged with three different surfaces [in each of the three series],” he said. “In Lahore, the surfaces were flat and the batting excelled. We went to Bangladesh where they were incredibly challenging and low-scoring games. Our top order sets the game up. All the games we won the top order performed really well. The third game in the West Indies, our openers put on 140 [138]. We need that at a run rate that gets us ahead of the game.”
He added that T20 cricket remains “all about setting the game up”, hinting that early aggression with bat and ball will again be the template.
The squad in full
Salman Agha (capt), Fakhar Zaman, Sahibzada Farhan, Haider Ali, Azam Khan (wk), Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Shadab Khan (vc), Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Salman Mirza, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Abrar Ahmed, Sufiyan Muqeem, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Nawaz, Usman Khan.
Pakistan supporters will inevitably wonder how long a team can leave out two of its most experienced white-ball batters. For now, though, the selectors have picked form, fitness and an attacking philosophy over reputation. Asia Cup performances will tell whether that call sticks through to the T20 World Cup next year.
