Pakistan’s Asia Cup 2025 Squad Features Youth Over Experience: Babar and Rizwan Excluded

The Pakistan squad for the Asia Cup 2025, which starts on September 9, has been unveiled. Salman Ali Agha will lead the team. Notably, Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan are not included in the squad. The selected players are: Salman Ali (C), Abrar, Faheem, Fakhar, Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Talat, Khushdil Shah, Haris (WK), Nawaz, Waseem Jnr, Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Mirza, Shaheen, and Sufyan Moqim. The PCB’s decision to focus on youth follows Pakistan’s loss in the ODI series against the West Indies, who won the final match by a significant 202-run margin to claim the series 2-1. Pakistan was all out for 92 while chasing a target of 295. Several batsmen, including Saim Ayub, Abdullah Shafique, Mohammad Rizwan, and Abrar Ahmed, failed to score. Salman Ali Agha scored 30 runs. Babar Azam’s performance of only 9 runs adds to concerns about his current form, with his streak without a century now reaching 72 innings across all formats.