Pakistan retained all 15 players that were part of their recent 2-1 series win over West Indies for the upcoming Asia Cup 2025. Star players Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan are among the five big snubs in Pakistan’s squad for the regional tournament.
Pakistan announced their squad for the upcoming tri-series in the UAE and the Asia Cup 2025 on Sunday, August 17. Salman Ali Agha will lead the 17-member side, comprising all 15 players from Pakistan’s recent 2-1 series win in the West Indies, with two additions.ย
The Asia Cup will be played from September 9 onwards. Pakistan are placed in Group A alongside India, UAE and Oman. The Men in Green will play a preparatory tri-series against UAE and Afghanistan ahead of the tournament. The series will begin on August 29, with the final taking place on September 7.
5 star players missing from Pakistan’s squad for the Asia Cup and the UAE tri-series:
1 – Babar Azam: One of the most eye-raising exclusions from the squad is the absence of former Pakistan skipper Babar Azam. Babar, who has been part of four Asia Cups and led in two of those, misses out for the first time since his debut in 2015. Babar’s underwhelming strike rate in T20sย has been the reason for his absence.
2 – Mohammad Rizwan: Like Babar, Rizwan is also not part of the Asia Cup squad. Rizwan was the heir of Babar after the latter had stepped down from his leadership role. Meanwhile, Rizwan has also not been part of Pakistan’s T20I squad in the last three series, and his underwhelming run in the T20 format stands as the reason for his exclusion.
3 – Naseem Shah: Another notable absentee from the squad is Naseem Shah, part of the fabled three that many expected would take the world on. However, things have not gone well for him in recent times, and he has not played a T20I since November 2024.
4 – Shadab Khan: Shadab Khan also missed out on Pakistan’s squad. While Shadab played in the home T20I series against Bangladesh, he is out injured. Shadab was advised to undergo surgery for his chronic shoulder problem.ย
5 – Ahmed Daniyal: Fast bowler Ahmed Daniyal produced impressive performances in his short T20I career. Making his debut in the away T20I series against Bangladesh last month, Daniyal picked 2/23 in the second T20I and then 1/16 in the third one. Despite his impressive outings, he misses out with Pakistan preferring experienced campaigners like Shaheen Afridi, Hasan Ali and Haris Rauf.