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Ex-Test Cricketer Asks Babar, Rizwan To Consider Retirement: ‘Kohli Ka Example Hai’
Follow UsEarlier today, the pair were left out of Pakistan's Asia Cup squad
Former Pakistan pacer Tanvir Ahmed has urged Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam to consider retirement from international cricket after being ‘disrespected’ by being dropped from the Asia Cup squad.
The Asia Cup next month was seen as the duo’s last chance to slot back in the T20I side before the T20 World Cup next year, but the latest development has left the T20I careers of both veterans in limbo.
It’s become clear that neither player is in head coach Mike Hesson’s plans, with Hesson even openly admitting that Babar’s strike rate is a major concern.
According to Tanvir, who played 5 Tests for Pakistan between 2010 and 2013, the pair can restore some respect by retiring from international cricket.
"My request to Babar Azam and Rizwan is that if you feel your respect is not intact, then consider retiring from international cricket. We have examples of Virat Kohli in front of us. Babar and Rizwan, respect is in your hands,” Tanvir wrote on X (translated from Urdu to English).
Not too long ago, Babar and Rizwan were opening the batting for Pakistan and breaking records, but Fakhar Zaman, Saim Ayub and Sahibzada Farhan are the three top-order batters that will be representing Pakistan in next month’s Asia Cup.
The group, led by Salman Ali Agha, are fresh off a 2-1 away T20I series win in the Caribbean.
Babar and Rizwan, meanwhile, were part of the ODI side that lost a bilateral series to the West Indies for the first time in 34 years. Both veterans have not played a single T20I in 2025.