Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan find no place in Pakistan squad for Asia Cup 2025
The former skippers in the format, Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, have been left out of the Pakistan squad for the Asia Cup 2025. The upcoming edition of the ACC tournament is slated to kick off on September 9 in the UAE. The PCB, on Sunday, announced a 17-member Pakistan squad for the marquee event and the UAE tri-series, which will precede the Asia Cup. Salman Ali Agha will lead the team, while Rizwan and Azam have found no place in the squad for either series. Set as a prelude to the 2026 ICC T20 World Cup, the Asia Cup will be held in the T20 format this time.
PCB announces Pakistan squad for UAE tri-series and Asia Cup 2025
Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan are not part of Pakistan’s squad for Asia Cup 2025. 👀
— OneTurf News (@oneturf_news) August 17, 2025
📸: ICC/PCB#oneturfnews #asiacup2025 #pakistan #babarazam #mohammadrizwan #cricket pic.twitter.com/5XIS1QYXmv
It’s been some time since the senior duo of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan were pushed to the sidelines of the T20I setup. Babar Azam last played a T20I for Pakistan in 2024. Following that, the former skipper featured in PSL 2025, managing 288 runs at a strike rate of 128.57, with scores of 56*, 53*, and 94 in his final seven outings for Peshawar Zalmi. Azam also turned up for Pakistan in the West Indies series but managed only 47, 0, and 9 across three matches. Mohammad Rizwan, meanwhile, missed out on selection for Pakistan’s recent T20I series in Bangladesh and the West Indies. He did, however, appear in the ODIs in the Caribbean, returning scores of 16 and 0.
Meanwhile, the Pakistan squad for the UAE tri-series and the following Asia Cup 2025 features Haris Rauf, Fakhar Zaman, and Shaheen Afridi as the senior prospects. Moreover, Hasan Ali and Faheem Ashraf have also been called up for the all-important ACC trophy. Alongside them, youngsters like Saim Ayub, Hasan Nawaz, and Mohammad Haris will take the center stage in UAE. Also continuing in the squad is 31-year-old Salman Mirza, who impressed in the recent series against Bangladesh with seven wickets in three games at an economy rate of 5.21.
After wrapping up the series against West Indies, Pakistan is gearing up for a tri-series involving Afghanistan and the UAE, scheduled at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium from August 29 to September 7. The series will serve as a build-up to Asia Cup 2025, set to take place in Abu Dhabi and Dubai from September 9 to 28. Placed in Group A, Pakistan is scheduled to open its campaign on September 12 against Oman before they meet arch-rivals India on September 14 in Dubai.
Pakistan squad for Asia Cup 2025
Salman Ali Agha (c), Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Waseem Jnr, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Mirza, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Sufyan Moqim.
