‘He’s too good a player…’ Babar Azam has new PAK coach Hesson’s backing after Asia Cup snub
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "‘He’s too good a player…’ Babar Azam has new PAK coach Hesson’s backing after Asia Cup snub")
‘He’s too good a player…’ Babar Azam has Hesson's backing after Asia Cup snub Photograph: (AFP)
Pakistan selectors dropped Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan from the 2025 Asia Cup squad.
Former Pakistan captain and star batter Babar Azam found no place in the side’s 17-man squad for the 2025 Asia Cup, announced on Sunday (Aug 17). The PCB dropped Babar and keeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan from the T20 squad for the continental tournament starting September 9 in the UAE. Addressing the media, selector Aaqib Javed and new head coach Mike Hesson explained what prompted them to look beyond this star pair, with Hesson admitting that Babar was told to work on a few areas, including his strike rate in the middle overs and his game against spinners.
“There is 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 is working really hard on,” the coach Hesson said, as quoted by the ICC.
Babar will feature for Sydney Sixers in the upcoming season of the Big Bash League (BBL), with Hesson pushing him to succeed in his maiden stint in franchise cricket Down Under. The right-handed batter, who has scored over 13,000 runs across all T20s, strikes at just under 130, but his average stands at 43.07. For Pakistan, he has featured in 130 T20Is, scoring 4223 runs, with three hundreds to his name.
Babar, 30, hasn’t played any T20Is for Pakistan since late 2024, with the selectors opting for fresher legs for the shortest format.
“A player like Babar has an opportunity to play in the BBL and show he is improving in those areas in T20s. He is too good a player not to consider,” Hesson continued.
Trending Stories
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Meanwhile, Pakistan will begin preparation for the 2025 Asia Cup with a triangular T20I series also involving the UAE and Afghanistan.
In the Asia Cup, India and Pakistan are placed in Group A, alongside Oman and the UAE, with the marquee clash against India scheduled for Sunday (Sep 14) in Dubai.
Besides, if India and Pakistan top Group A, they could face off in the Super 4s.
Pakistan squad for triangular T20Is and 2025 Asia Cup –
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, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Mirza, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Sufiyan Muqeem
