The Pakistan selection committee has unveiled its T20I squad of seventeen for the imminent triangular series and the 2025 Asia Cup, both scheduled for Dubai and Abu Dhabi from 9 September to 28 September 2025.
Notably, the roster is devoid of the iconic Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, two pillars of the past decade. Following a summer of stagnation, the executive directors of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), abetted by the current coaching staff, resolved to transition from player familiarity to cohort revitalization ahead of the 2026 ICC T20 World Cup.
Leadership is entrusted to Salman Agha, having assumed the reins after the disappointing home tournament and the subsequent relinquishment of the captaincy by Rizwan. Since his incumbency, both Rizwan and Azam have been omitted from the T20I framework.
The fixed roster retains veterans Fakhar Zaman, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf and Hasan Ali alongside Pursuant to the developmental charter. Players enjoying formal progression, namely Saim Ayub, Hasan Nawaz and Salman Mirza have been invited. Mohammad Haris and Salman Agha will share the north of 24 T20s line.
Complete Pakistan T20I squad: Salman Agha (c), 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, Sufiyan Muqeem.
Babar Azam statistical overview
Babar Azam remains centrally prominent as an elite batter within the T20I discipline. Through the completion of 128 innings, his career corpus stands at 4,223 runs, realised at an arithmetic average of 39.83, accompanied by an overall velocity of 129.22 runs per 100 balls.
His repertoire includes three centuries and 36 half-centuries. Azam is currently 9 runs shy of overtaking Rohit Sharma to become the format’s all-time runs leader; the Indian batsman retired from international T20I cricket in 2022. Within the Asian arena, Azam’s output is also robust: 2,151 runs in 65 innings, 41.36 average, two centuries, and 18 half-centuries.
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Mohammad Rizwan statistical overview
Mohammad Rizwan’s contribution is complementary yet vital. He has published a career ledger of 3,414 runs from 106 innings, averaging 47.41 and striking at 125.37, including one century and 30 half-centuries. Furthermore, Rizwan has registered 95 sixes, the highest by a Pakistani in the history of T20I cricket, underscoring his accumulating power at the crease.
He currently retains the record for the highest aggregate in a single calendar year, accumulating 1,326 runs across 29 T20I appearances, while also becoming the expedient Pakistani to 3,000 T20I runs by accomplishing the task in 79 innings. The exclusion of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan invites scrutiny of Pakistan’s immediate competitive architecture.
Sifting out the two most durable run-scorers is an evident risk, if not gamble, notwithstanding the board’s articulated intention to cultivate a younger cohort around which to reconfigure the side. The decisive operate of this calculated experimentation will unfold during the forthcoming Asia Cup and the subsequent international engagement sequence.
