Pakistan’s decorated batter Babar Azam, who has been a cornerstone of the team’s success over the years, was notably left out of the squad for the upcoming Asia Cup 2025. The decision raised eyebrows given Babar’s reputation as one of the most dependable and talented batters.
However, despite his tremendous experience, Babar has not featured for Pakistan in T20Is since last year. Meanwhile, head coach Mike Hesson has now outlined key areas Babar needs to improve in order to earn a place in the side.
"There's no doubt Babar's been asked to improve in some areas around taking on spin and in terms of his strike rate. Those are things he's working really hard on," Hesson said during the press conference.
"But at the moment the players we have have performed exceptionally well. Talking about Sahibzada Farhan, he has played six games and won three Player of the Match awards,” he said.
"A player like Babar has an opportunity to play in the BBL and show he's improving in those areas in T20s. He's too good a player for us not to consider."
Pakistan will be led by Salman Agha in the Asia Cup, but ahead of the Asia Cup 2025, they will play a T20I tri-series with the UAE and Afghanistan starting on 29 August to 7 September.