Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) have announced their squad for the upcoming Asia Cup 2025 edition, with no Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan in the scheme of things. However, Shaheen Shah Afridi is part of the squad, which is led by Salman Ali Agha and the same group of players will participate in the tri-series, involving UAE and Afghanistan.
Once a lynchpin of Pakistan's batting units, Babar and Rizwan have not played T20I cricket since December 2024 and have not performed to the best of their abilities in the format. The latest season of Pakistan Super League (PSL) saw Babar scoring only 288 runs at a strike rate of 128.57, while Rizwan clattered 367 runs while keeping a strike rate of 139.54.
Although the Men in Green lost the T20I series at home to Bangladesh, they bounced back to win the away rubber against the West Indies. Despite an underwhelming performance in the two T20Is against the West Indies, Shaheen has retained his place in the squad. The tri-series against UAE and Afghanistan begins on August 29 in Sharjah.
Pakistan squad for Asia Cup 2025 and the tri-series:
Salman Agha (capt), Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Mirza, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufyan Moqim."
Salman Agha's men will open their Asia Cup campaign against Oman on September 10 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Their marquee fixture against Team India will take place on September 14 at the same venue. The Men in Green suffered a group-stage exit in the 2023 edition after defeats to Sri Lanka and India, who were the eventual winners of the 50-over competition.
Pakistan will start the 2025 edition as massive underdogs, given their recent form but a tri-series victory should boost their confidence.
