Pakistan has announced its cricket squad of 17 members for the upcoming ACC Asia Cup T20 2025 and tri-nation warm-up series. Surprisingly, the country has dropped its star batters, Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan. Indeed, they are not a part of the Pakistan Asia Cup 2025 Squad.
Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the UAE will play in the upcoming tri-series. Notably, the Sharjah Cricket Stadium will host the event from August 29 to September 7. On the other hand, the Asia Cup 2025 will run from September 2 to 28 across Abu Dhabi and Dubai. However, Pakistan is placed in Group A with India, Oman, and the UAE.
Why Babar Azam and Rizwan Were Dropped from Pakistan Asia Cup 2025 Squad
Mohammed Rizwan and Babar Azam are two of the most consistent T20 performers in Pakistan. However, they have not featured in the Pakistani squad since December. However, Head Coach Mike Hesson explained that this decision was based on the current form and team balance.
Hesson said, “We accept what a fine player Babar is, but he has been asked to work on areas such as a ability against spin and a strike rate. Currently, other players are performing well and contributing positively.”
Salman Agha to Lead Pakistan
The selector has handed the captaincy to Salman Ali Agha. However, all-rounder Fakhar Zaman is making his comeback after recovering from injury. Moreover, fast bowlers Mohammad Wasim Jnr and Salman Mirza also return to add depth to Pakistan’s pace attack. However, we have listed the full 17-member squads below:
- Salman Ali 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 Jnr
- Sahibzada Farhan
- Saim Ayub
- Salman Mirza
- Shaheen Shah Afridi
- Sufyan Moqim.
Tournament Schedules Revealed
Sharjah will host the tri-series matches at 7 pm local time. So, you can find the details related to fixtures below:
- Aug 29: Afghanistan vs Pakistan
- Aug 30: UAE vs Pakistan
- Sep 7: Final
After this lineup, you will see the Pakistani cricket team in the Asia Cup 2025 on the dates mentioned below:
- Sep 12: Oman vs Pakistan (Dubai)
- Sep 14: India vs Pakistan (Dubai)
- Sep 17: UAE vs Pakistan (Dubai)
Super 4 will be run from the 20th of September to the 26th of September. However, the final is on 28 September in Dubai.
Read more:
Pakistan and India could meet three times in the upcoming Asia Cup 2025
Asia Cup 2025 set to light up the UAE amid India-Pakistan tension
