The globe is taken aback that Babar Azam is not in the 17-man Pakistan squad that will play the country in the Asia cup 2025. Less than 15 months after taking back the T20I captaincy of the West Indies World Cup, Babar has now been left out of the T20 format altogether, after being previously overlooked in series against Bangladesh and the West Indies.
Strike Rate Concerns Behind Babar’s Snub
Mike Hesson, the white-ball head coach of Pakistan defended the move by stating that Babar needed to work on his strike-rate, especially against spin. Hesson has underlined that the batter is working hard in these areas to regain his optimal form in T20 cricket.
“There’s no doubt Babar has been asked to improve in some areas, particularly against spin and in terms of his strike-rate. Those are aspects I know he’s working very hard on at the moment,” Hesson said at the press briefing following the announcement of the squad.
Hesson went on to add that Babar still has a platform to get up to speed with franchise cricket. Playing in leagues like the Big Bash League (BBL) could help him refine his T20 skills and make a case for a comeback.
BBL as a Pathway for Babar’s Comeback
“A player like Babar also has the opportunity to play in the BBL and showcase improvements in those areas of T20 cricket. He’s simply too good a player for us not to consider,” Hesson said. The statements of the coach indicate the optimism of Pakistan that Babar can correct the loopholes in his game and emerge stronger.
Statistics point out the rationale behind the decision. Of all batters to face at least 1,000 balls in all T20 games since January 2022, Babar has the worst average (122.91) against spin. The second place is occupied by Mohammad Rizwan, the player who did not get into the list of the Asia Cup team with 123.35 strike rate.
Babar’s Recent Form and Asia Cup Preparations
His final T20I was December 2024. In the 2025 Pakistan Super League, he displayed glimpses of form with scores including 56*, 53*, and 94 across seven games for Peshawar Zalmi. But the fact that his recent scores against the West Indies in the ODI series read 47, 0 and 9 may have led to his omission.
Asia Cup 2025 will be played in the UAE between 9th and 28 th of September. Pakistan will participate in a T20I tri-series against Afghanistan and the UAE in Sharjah Cricket Stadium in preparation of the actual tournament as the captain Salman Ali Agha on August 29 to September 7. This series will play a major preparation process to the team before the Asia Cup.
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