The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced the Pakistan squad for Asia Cup 2025 on Sunday (August 17, 2025). They have left two of their senior batters, Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, from the squad. Salman Ali Agha will lead the Pakistan Cricket Team in the Asia Cup 2025. There are a few young all-rounders in the Pakistan squad for Asia Cup 2025, and their fast bowling resources are good enough to trouble the opposition batting line-up. Today, we will discuss the possible reasons why Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan have been left out of the Asia Cup 2025 squad. We will also see the strengths and weaknesses of the Pakistan squad for Asia Cup 2025. So let’s begin.

Pakistan Squad for Asia Cup 2025 Announced, Babar and Rizwan Left Out

The PCB, on Sunday (August 17), announced the Pakistan squad for Asia Cup 2025. One of the main reasons for the PAK team management to leave out Rizwan and Babar is the way they approach their batting in the shortest format of the game. The Asia Cup 2025 is set to take place in the T20 format, considering the ICC T20 World Cup next year in 2026. There has been a question mark on Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan’s strike rate in T20 cricket. The way they approach their batting in this format is quite outdated, which is why they are not in the squad.

Salman Agha will be the captain of the Pakistan team in the Asia Cup 2025. The team has not announced a deputy/vice-captain in the squad. A 17-member squad will also play in the Tri-series against the UAE (United Arab Emirates) and Afghanistan (AFG), which will happen before the Asia Cup.

Pakistan Has Banked On Young All-Rounders for the Asia Cup 2025

The PCB has preferred a few hard-hitting all-rounders in the squad ahead of the conventional batters. They have some hard-hitters like Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Haris, Hasan Nawaz, Sahibzada Farhan, and Saim Ayub in the squad. The team also has some quality all-rounders like Hussain Talat, Faheem Ashraf, Khushdil Shah, and Mohammad Nawaz, who can bring balance to the team. It has a mixture of young and aggressive batters, and a few experienced batters as well.

Hasan Ali Back in the Squad for Multi-Nation Tournament

Hasan Ali is back in the Pakistan squad for Asia Cup 2025. It will be his first presence in the multi-nation tournament after 2023. He last played in the multi-nation tournament in the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 in India. After that, he missed the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 in the USA and the West Indies, and the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 in the UAE and Pakistan. He played in the recently concluded white-ball series against the West Indies (WI). Now, if Hasan Ali does well, his experience will play an important role in the team.

The other pacers in the team are Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Wasim, and Salman Mirza. In the spin bowling department, they have wicket-taking options like Abrar Ahmed and Sufiyan Muqeem, with a few all-rounder options like Khushdil Shah, Saim Ayub, and Mohammad Nawaz.

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Pakistan Team for Asia Cup 2025

Salman Agha (c), Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris (wk), Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Mirza, Shaheen Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem, Mohammad Nawaz, and Mohammad Wasim.

Why Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan have been Left Out of the Asia Cup 2025 Squad?

• Outdated Approach in T20 cricket

T20 cricket is fast-paced and needs aggression, especially when it comes to batting. Batters nowadays approach T20 cricket differently compared to 8-10 years ago. They wanted to dominate the opposition bowling attack right from the word go, and wanted to use the powerplay to a good effect. On the other hand, we have seen that Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan have conventionally approached their batting. They take some time to set and then charge, and in this process, take a lot more balls than usual. The fact that Babar and Rizwan’s batting approach is like this is the very reason they are not in the squad.

• Their Current Form

Sometimes the team persists with the senior player because they have experience playing in the big events, even if they are failing in one format, but doing well in another format. But neither Babar nor Rizwan has done enough in ODIs to be in the T20 team. Their strike rate in the last PSL was 128 and 139, respectively, and their form in the other white-ball format (ODIs) is not great as well. That’s why they are not in the Pakistan squad for Asia Cup 2025.

• The Arrival of a New and Aggressive Talent

This point is related to the first point. The Pakistan team has brought in some new faces like Saim Ayub, Mohammad Haris, Hasan Nawaz, and Shahbazda Farhan, who are young and aggressive. They are the ones who look to play with positive intent from ball one and do not have the fear of failure. With the emergence of these local talents, finding a place for Babar and Rizwan in the T20 team is quite difficult.

There were indications that both Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan would not feature in the T20 team, looking at the recent absence from the T20 squad in the bilateral series. Their current coach, Mike Hesson, has also pointed out the need to bring new faces to the team.

Let us now see the strengths and weaknesses of this Pakistan Squad for Asia Cup 2025.

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Pakistan Cricket Team Strengths

• Aggressive Batters in the Squad-

As mentioned earlier, Pakistan has some new faces in the batting department like Saim Ayub, Hasan Nawaz, and Sahabzada Farhan. They also have hard hitters like Fakhar Zaman, Khushdil Shah, and Salman Ali Agha who can change the course of the game. It is one of their biggest strength going into the tournament.

• A Potent Pace Battery

Pakistan has pacers like Shaheen Shah Afridi who can trouble the batters with the new ball. They also have Haris Rauf and Mohammad Wasim, who are hit the deck hard bowlers, and Salman Mirza, a left-arm pacer who is fast and brings variety to the bowling attack.

• Enough All-Rounders in the Team

Pakistan has quite a few all-rounders in the team, like Khushdil Shah, Hussain Talat, Mohammad Nawaz, and Faheem Ashraf. Even Saim Ayub and Fakhar Zaman can bowl a few overs if needed. These players playing multiple roles give a much-needed balance to the team and an extra option for the captain.

Pakistan Cricket Team Weakness

• No Experience of Senior Players

Pakistan will miss the services of their senior-most players like Babar and Rizwan. Although the team has some experienced players in the team, Babar and Rizwan’s experience could be vital for the team, especially on the slow and sluggish pitches. They will miss an anchor in the batting lineup.

• Lacked an Experienced Wrist Spinners

Pakistan will miss an experienced wrist spinner in the middle overs. Someone like Shadab Khan will be missed, who has experience bowling in the middle overs. Nowadays, the teams control the game in the middle overs through the spinners, and more specifically through a wicket-taking wrist spinner. They have Abrar and Muqeem in the squad, but they are not as experienced as other teams’ wrist spinners.

• A New Captain

Salman Agha is a new captain, and Pakistan has changed leadership on a regular basis. The regular chopping and changing in the leadership role will not help in team’s cause, and gives insecurity to a new captain.

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CONCLUSION: What Are Pakistan’s Chances in the Asia Cup?

So this is the Pakistan squad for Asia Cup 2025. We have also seen the possible reasons why Rizwan and Babar are not in the team. Also, we touched upon the strengths and weaknesses of the Pakistan cricket team for the Asia Cup 2025. Now, the question is – will Pakistan be able to win the title? So the answer is yes. They have enough firepower in the team to beat anyone. Their biggest challenge will be against the arch-rivals India and Afghanistan. You cannot underestimate the unpredictability of the Pakistan team. They might not be as strong as India, but they could be a dark horse in the tournament.

What do you think? Will Pakistan win the Asia Cup 2025 title? Or will we see someone else taking this edition? Comment your prediction below. Thank you for reading. We hope you find it informative. Keep following sportschilly.com for the latest updates.

FAQs:-

(1) Who will be the captain of Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2025?

A. Salman Ali Agha will lead the side in the Asia Cup 2025.

(2) How many members are there in the Pakistan team for the Asia Cup 2025?

A. A total of 17 members are in the squad.

(3) How many Asia Cup titles has Pakistan won till now?

A. As of August 2025, Pakistan has won two titles in the Asia Cup history.

(4) When was the last time Pakistan played a final of the Asia Cup? 

A. Pakistan played the Asia Cup final for the first time in the 2022 edition.

(5) Which Pakistani batter has scored the most runs in the last Asia Cup edition?

A. Mohammad Rizwan scored the most runs (281) for Pakistan in the last edition of the Asia Cup in 2022.