Pakistan’s Asia Cup 2025 squad sparks controversy as Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan are dropped over strike rate concerns, while captain Agha Salman’s weaker numbers expose glaring hypocrisy in team selection.

The star duo of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan continued to remain absent from T20Is as Pakistan announced their Asia Cup squad on Sunday.

Wristspinners Abrar Ahmed and Sufiyan Muqeem have also secured spots in Pakistan's squad. They are joined by Salman Mirza, who was Pakistan's leading wicket-taker with eight wickets in the recent away T20I series against Bangladesh.

Former Pakistan skipper Babar Azam has been dropped from the squad for the Asia Cup 2025 tournament in UAE next month.

Pakistan head coach Mike Hesson took to social media to explain the Asia Cup squad selection after facing criticism for leaving out Babar Azam criticism.

Pakistan coach Mike Hesson highlights Babar Azam's potential return to the T20I team depends on improving his play against spin and increasing his strike rate. Azam's exclusion from the upcoming tri-series squad comes despite his strong domestic performance.

Pakistan head coach Mike Hesson revealed that Babar Azam was dropped from Pakistan’s Asia Cup 2025 squad due to his low T20 strike rate and struggles against spin, urging the star batter to prove himself in the Big Bash League for a comeback.

India veterans Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli had briefly been ommitted from the ICC ODI rankings but were then reappeared in their original second and fourth places respectively.