June 10th 2025.
In a surprising move, the national senior men's selection committee has decided to leave out former captains Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, along with pace bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi, from the T20 squads for the upcoming tours of Bangladesh and West Indies. According to a report from Telecom Asia Sport, this decision was made in consultation with white-ball head coach Mike Hesson and captain Salman Agha.
It seems that the selectors have based their decision on the trio's recent performances in white-ball tours, as well as their showing at the ICC Champions Trophy. This includes Rizwan's leadership during a 2-0 T20 series defeat in South Africa, in which Babar also played. Following that, both players were dropped from the New Zealand tour and the home series against Bangladesh.
Sources have revealed that the management and selection committee are keen to move on from Babar and Rizwan, despite Hesson and Salman's statements that the door was still open for the two former openers. It appears that their strike rate and batting form in T20Is have been part of Pakistan's recent defeats, and the team is looking to shake things up.
The selection committee, which now includes former captain Sarfaraz Ahmed and former pacer Sikander Bakht as observers, has made it clear that the squads for the upcoming tours will not include these problematic players. This has been confirmed by another source, who also revealed that Pakistan is set to play Bangladesh on July 20, 22, and 24 before heading to Florida for a five-match T20I series against the West Indies.
Furthermore, it has been reported that Hesson had initially wanted Babar and Rizwan to be included in the squad for the Bangladesh series. However, former star Aaqib Javed objected to their inclusion, stating that it would be a good opportunity to try out some young players in a relatively easier home series.
As for Shaheen, he was part of the squad on the New Zealand tour where he struggled against Tim Siefert, and Pakistan ended up losing the series 4-1. In fact, Shaheen only managed to take two wickets in four matches, and his economy rate was a disappointing 10.23. He was eventually dropped for the last game, and sources have revealed that reports of him being non-cooperative with the captain and team management did not work in his favor.
The report also mentioned that Hesson had met with all three players - Babar, Shaheen, and Rizwan - during preparatory sessions in Lahore. They discussed the coach's strategy for the selection process and his plans for the three players. Additionally, skipper Salman Agha was reportedly against Shaheen's inclusion in the team, as he is keen on giving young players a chance and building a strong backup squad.
Pakistan has a busy schedule ahead, with T20I series lined up against Afghanistan, Ireland, South Africa, Sri Lanka, and Australia. This will provide the team with solid preparations for the upcoming World Cup, which is set to be hosted by India and Sri Lanka next year. Only time will tell if the exclusion of these experienced players will prove to be a wise decision for Pakistan's T20 team.
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