Asia Cup 2025: Pakistan drop bombshell – Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan axed from 17-member squad
Pakistan has dropped a bombshell ahead of the Asia Cup 2025 with the exclusion of two of their biggest names —
Babar Azam
and Mohammad Rizwan. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Sunday unveiled a 17-member squad for the high-stakes tournament as well as the T20I tri-series and Asia Cup scheduled to take place in the UAE from 29 August to 28 September.
The tri-series, featuring Afghanistan, Pakistan and the UAE, will be played at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium from 29 August to 7 September.
The eight-team ACC Asia Cup T20I tournament will be staged in Abu Dhabi and Dubai from 9 to 28 September. Pakistan are placed in Group 'A' alongside India, Oman and the UAE.
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Salman Ali Agha has been named captain of Pakistan for the upcoming tri-series in the UAE, followed by the Asia Cup, which will also be held in the UAE.
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What is your opinion on Pakistan's decision to exclude Babar Azam and Mohammed Rizwan from the Asia Cup squad?
It's a bold move
It's a mistake
I have mixed feelings
I don't care
The 17-member squad features senior names such as
Fakhar Zaman
, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali and Faheem Ashraf, while youngsters like Saim Ayub, Hasan Nawaz and Mohammad Haris have also been included, giving them an opportunity to showcase their talent on the big stage.
Pakistan squad:
Salman Ali Agha (c), Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Waseem Jnr, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Mirza, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Sufyan Moqim.
📅 Tri-Series 2025 Schedule (Sharjah Cricket Stadium)
Date
Match
Time (IST)
29 August
Afghanistan vs Pakistan
8:30 PM
30 August
UAE vs Pakistan
8:30 PM
1 September
UAE vs Afghanistan
8:30 PM
2 September
Pakistan vs Afghanistan
8:30 PM
4 September
Pakistan vs UAE
8:30 PM
5 September
Afghanistan vs UAE
8:30 PM
7 September
Final
8:30 PM
📅 Asia Cup T20 2025 – Pakistan Fixtures
Date
Match
Venue
Time (Local)
12 September
Oman vs Pakistan
DICS
7:30 PM
14 September
India vs Pakistan
DICS
7:30 PM
17 September
UAE vs Pakistan
DICS
7:30 PM
20–26 September
Super Fours Matches
Abu Dhabi & Dubai
TBC
28 September
Final
DICS
7:30 PM
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