On Sunday, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced their roster for the Asia Cup. It was a huge move because they didn’t include senior batsmen Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan. The change sends a strong message to the former stars of the T20I team, whose recent play has been alarming.
Babar Azam’s last T20I series was against South Africa in December. In two games, he scored 31 runs and got out without scoring. Mohammad Rizwan also participated in the series and scored 74 runs, although both players have remained on the bench since then. Pakistan has lost 14 T20I matches in a row, and since they aren’t on the Asia Cup roster, it looks like their careers in the shortest format of the game are gone.
Salman Ali Agha, an all-around player who has been in charge of the T20I team since March, has been chosen to lead the Asia Cup and the next tri-series against Afghanistan and the UAE.
There are several significant players in the new squad, but not all of them. Fakhar Zaman, a senior ODI batsman who played well against the West Indies earlier this month, has been handed a chance. Mohammad Haris is now the official keeper of the wickets. Rizwan is not the official wicketkeeper anymore.
Shaheen Shah Afridi, one of the best fast bowlers, will be in charge of the bowling. Naseem Shah, a young fast bowler, won’t be on the team. Mohammad Wasim is still on the team even though he hasn’t played a T20I in more than a year.
The PCB’s decision is part of the team’s effort to make up for how badly they did in the Asia Cup. Pakistan came in second in the 2022 T20I, but they didn’t make it to the final in the 2023 ODI. The upcoming games will have the following team:
Here is the Pakistani team for the Asia Cup and the Tri-Series:
Salman Ali Agha (C)
Ahmed Abrar
Faheem Ashraf
Fakhar Zaman
Haris Rauf
Ali Hasan
Nawaz Hasan
Talat Hussain
Khushdil Shah
Mohammad Haris (WK)
Nawaz Mohammad
Mohammad Waseem Jr.
Farhan Sahibzada
Saim Ayub
Salman Mirza
Shaheen Shah Afridi
Moqim Sufyan