Both Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan have been dropped from Pakistan’s Asia Cup squad vs Oman. Coach Mike Hesson explained that he wasn’t happy with the strike rate of both players and hence, made the tough decision. Meanwhile, Pakistan opted to bat first against Oman in Dubai.
Pakistan have made a bold decision to drop Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan from their Asia Cup 2025 squad. After the T20 World Cup 2024, Babar relinquished captaincy duties, and there were doubts about whether the 30-year-old would be in the scheme of things for Pakistan in the shortest format of the game. Despite struggling with form and strike rate, Babar and Rizwan managed to retain their spot, having played T20Is in Australia and South Africa, but were dropped soon after that.
Ahead of Pakistanโs Asia Cup opener against Oman, head coach Mike Hesson answered the reason behind Babar and Rizwan no longer being in the race in T20Is. He noted that the strike rate is extremely important in modern cricket these days, and he wasnโt happy with how Babar and Rizwan accelerated in the middle. He talked about the importance of honest assessment and stated that thereโs no agenda behind the decision.
โBeing honest about your assessment of players is pretty important. Coming from a place where you have no agenda is also very important. Looking at things objectively is important. I haven’t talked about anyone’s frailties,โ Hesson said in the pre-match press conference.ย
โWhat I have alluded to is the way the modern game is played and the strike rates required, particularly in good conditions. All players ask for from coaches is to be honest with them. That is the responsibility you’ve got. Just because you like a player or have a relationship with a player, it doesn’t mean you can’t be honest,โ he added.
Pakistan win toss, elect to bat vs Oman
Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha won the toss and elected to bat first against Oman in their opening game of the marquee tournament. After the toss, Agha explained tha the team has several all-rounders in the mix, which will help them challenge for the title.
Playing XIs
Pakistan: Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan, Mohammad Haris (wk), Fakhar Zaman, Salman Agha (c), Hasan Nawaz, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem, Abrar Ahmed
Oman: Jatinder Singh (c), Aamir Kaleem, Hammad Mirza, Vinayak Shukla (wk), Shah Faisal, Hassnain Shah, Mohammad Nadeem, Zikria Islam, Sufyan Mehmood, Shakeel Ahmed, Samay Shrivastava