Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram gives brutal remark on the reasons behind Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan’s exclusion from the T20I squad.
Published: September 11, 2025 10:05 AM IST
New Delhi: Mike Hesson is starting to establish himself in the Pakistan white-ball setup. Under Salman Ali Agha’s leadership, the T20I squad has embraced an aggressive, approach, with players attacking from the very first ball.
This strategy worked for Pakistan as the recently concluded Tri-Nation series against Afghanistan and the UAE. However, as Pakistan prepares for their Asia Cup 2025 opener, doubts linger over the omission of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan.
Wasim Akram commented on the current T20I team
Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram commented on the current T20I team, stating that the team has been performing well despite the absence of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan. He added that the senior players had got multiple opportunities but lacked consistency, making it necessary to give new players a chance.
After Pakistan’s failure to advance to the semi-finals of the Champions Trophy, Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan were removed from the team’s T20I lineup. The selectors decided to drop them for the international T20s even though the competition was in the 50-over format.
“I think this team is doing OK. They have given enough chances to Babar and Rizwan as openers for 4 or 5 years. They did well, but not as well, not as consistently, and hence the new boys said Akram on Sony Sports before the start of the Afghanistan versus Hong Kong China game.
“Babar is not there, Rizwan is not there. I think the idea was to move on from them, to go to these youngsters. They’ve done well, haven’t been consistent, but at least they have the right mindset. They don’t have a fear of losing. When you have a fear of losing, you buckle under pressure. So these guys, they might lose, but I think Salman Agha is a good captain,” he added.
Pakistan is all set to begin their Asia Cup 2025
Pakistan is all set to begin their Asia Cup 2025 campaign against Oman on Friday, September 12. Ahead of the clash, Akram showered high praise for Salman Ali Agha, stating that the T20I captain has done his job well and will slowly take the team in the right path.
“He’s leading from the front. He sacrifices his place at number 4-5, according to the situation. They shouldn’t make too many experiments with this team. They can beat top teams on a regular basis,” he said.
Akram suggested that Babar should be brought back into the T20I squad
However, Akram also suggested that Babar should be brought back into the T20I squad, stating that his experience could play a key role for Pakistan to face challenging totals of 150-160 on tough pitches. It’s worth mentioning that both Babar and Rizwan have faced backlash after failing to accelerate the scoring on favorable batting tracks.
“I just recently said that I want Babar to be in T20. Just think about him because against stronger sides, if you’re going to chase 150 or 160 on a pitch like this or in any slightly dodgy wicket, it’ll be difficult. You have to change your game a bit. Maybe that will be useful,” said Akram.
Story Highlight
- Under Salman Ali Agha’s leadership, the T20I squad has embraced an aggressive, approach, with players attacking from the very first ball.
- Wasim Akram commented on the current T20I team, stating that the team has been performing well despite the absence of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan.
- Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan were dropped from the team’s T20I lineup.
- Pakistan is all set to begin their Asia Cup 2025 campaign against Oman on Friday, September 12.
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