Pakistan Cricket Team / Babar-Rizwan's T20I career over? Selectors did not give them a place for Asia Cup

Pakistan Cricket Team: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced the 17-member Pakistani team for Asia Cup 2025. This time the command of the team has been handed over to Salman Ali Agha. The most surprising thing is that two veteran players of Pakistan, Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, have not got a place in this squad. Both these players have been out of the T20 team for a long time, and their poor form forced the selectors to take this tough decision.

Babar Azam's poor form: Disappointing performance in West Indies series

Babar Azam, who is the highest run-scorer for Pakistan in T20 Internationals, has been struggling with his form for some time. Babar's performance in the recently played ODI series against West Indies was very disappointing. In three matches, he scored only 56 runs in total, in which he could not even open the account in one match. His last T20 International match was in 2024, and since then he has been out of the team. The selectors did not include him in the T20 team for Asia Cup 2025 in view of his consistent poor performance.

Mohammad Rizwan also not in form

Mohammad Rizwan, who is the second-highest run-scorer for Pakistan in T20 Internationals, is also going through bad form. He also played his last T20 International match in 2024. Rizwan scored only one half-century in the ODI series against West Indies, but his overall performance became a major reason for the team's defeat. His poor form forced the selectors to question his T20 future.

Young players got a chance

In the absence of Babar and Rizwan, PCB has expressed confidence in young talent. Young batsmen like Sam Ayub, Hasan Nawaz, and Shahibzada Farhan have been included in the team, who have proved their ability in recent performances. These players have performed brilliantly in domestic cricket and other tournaments, due to which the selectors decided to give them a chance on this big stage.

Is Babar-Rizwan's T20 career over?

Babar Azam has 4223 runs in T20 Internationals, the highest for Pakistan, while Mohammad Rizwan is second in this format with 3414 runs. Nevertheless, the current form of both the players and their long absence from the team has put a question mark on their T20 career. Given the excellent performance of the young players and the new approach of the selectors, Babar and Rizwan's return to the T20 team seems difficult at the moment.