Babar, Rizwan Not Key Players For Pakistan: Former All-Rounder

Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan were not picked in Pakistan's 17-member squad for the Asia Cup 2025, starting next month. Pakistan have opted for a young side under Salman Agha, and there is no place for two of Pakistan's leading T20I run-getters, Babar and Rizwan.

While many have expressed concerns over this decision, former Pakistan all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez is not surprised by this call.

“Calling them [Babar and Rizwan] key players would be wrong and unfair. Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan are not Pakistan cricket’s key players at the moment. Key players are those who win matches for Pakistan," Hafeez said on his YouTube channel.

“If we look at the past year and a half to two years, the players showing consistent performance are Salman Ali Agha, Saim Ayub and Hasan Nawaz. Why aren’t we talking about them? They are the current players winning matches for Pakistan," he added.

Hafeez also believes Babar and Rizwan need to prove themselves and should start delivering for the team as they did before.

“I think Babar and Rizwan need to be concerned about their positions in the team. They need to prove themselves as good players first; key players come later. Both were good in the past, but now they are not delivering results," he remarked.

“Both need to be fully involved in the game; otherwise, results won’t come. The same goes for Naseem Shah and Shaheen Shah Afridi; they are also not giving match-winning performances for Pakistan."

Only India's Rohit Sharma (4,231) has more T20I runs than Babar (4,223). Rizwan, on the other hand, has 3,414 runs to his name and is ranked seventh among the highest run-scorers in the format.

Pakistan get their Asia Cup campaign underway against Oman on September 12 in Dubai before their massive clash against arch-rivals India on September 14.