Pakistan name squad for upcoming Asia Cup
Among the prominent players to feature in Pakistan's 17-member squad are Fakhar Zaman, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, and Faheem Ashraf. Younger stars like Saim Ayub, Hasan Nawaz and Mohammad Haris will also look to leave their mark in the upcoming competitions.
Salman Agha fights fire with fire | PAK v NZ | Champions Trophy 2025
Salman Agha fights fire with fire | PAK v NZ | Champions Trophy 2025
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.
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Khaleej Times
6 hours ago
- Khaleej Times
Why Gill may not be able to dislodge Sharma for a spot in India's Asia Cup team
With an embarrassment of riches at their disposal, Indian selectors face a huge dilemma for the Asia Cup team selection. The Ajit Agarkar-led Indian selection committee has plenty to ponder on as they get ready to announce the team for the continental showpiece on Tuesday. The Asia Cup will be held in Dubai and Abu Dhabi from September 9 to 28, with India being placed in Group A alongside Pakistan, Oman and the UAE. Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Hong Kong, and Sri Lanka will vie for the top two spots in the Super Four stage from Group B. India have made remarkable progress since Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, the two heavyweights, retired following the team's 2024 Twenty20 World Cup triumph in the West Indies. Coach Gautam Gambhir has added exciting youngsters to the team, such as Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma, who have delivered match-winning performances for the team over the past 12 months. Sharma's opening partnership with Sanju Samson, the hugely experienced wicketkeeper-batter, has also proved decisive in big moments. So, the Indian selectors now face a big headache with Test skipper Shubman Gill and opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, both prolific scorers in the Indian Premier League (IPL), hoping to return to the T20 team. But Aakash Chopra, a former Indian Test opener, believes it's not going to be easy for Gill and Jaiswal to get into India's Asia Cup squad despite their superb form in the recent Test series against England. "The depth of talent is so immense that even if you are a Test captain (Shubman Gill) and have shattered a lot of records, you are not a certainty in a different format," Chopra told ANI, referring to Gill's 754 runs in the five-Test series against England, which ended in a 2-2 draw. While Gill was the highest scorer in the series with four hundreds, Jaiswal made 411 runs with two hundreds. Both are also proven T20 players, but one of them has played a T20 International since July 2024. During this period, India have played 12 matches, winning 10 of them with Sharma and Samson opening the innings in all these games. So it's against this backdrop that the selectors must decide if they want to bring back Gill and Jaiswal, two prolific T20 openers, into the team for the Asia Cup. "This is going to be a tough selection. We have won 17 out of the last 20 T20 matches we played," Chopra said. In such scenarios, the temptation to bring back the big stars is often irresistible for selectors. Gill and Jaiswal, after all, are two supreme young shot-makers who have proven their talent across the three formats. But the left-handed Sharma, who has scored 535 runs in 17 T20Is at an astonishing strike rate of 193.84, fits perfectly into the team's new philosophy of playing a fearless and ultra-aggressive brand of cricket. It's with this style of cricket that India won three back-to-back series against Bangladesh, South Africa and England, with Sharma launching some of the most stunning attacks ever seen in T20Is. Even Gill, arguably the most gifted Indian batter, may find it hard to dislodge his Punjab teammate at the Indian top-order for the Asia Cup.
ARN News Center
6 hours ago
- ARN News Center
Pakistan tell Babar to improve strike rate for T20 comeback
Former Pakistan captain Babar Azam has been told to improve his batting against spin and boost his overall strike rate to be considered for Twenty20 Internationals, coach Mike Hesson said. Babar is Pakistan's batting mainstay in other formats but has not played a T20 International since their tour of South Africa late last year. The 30-year-old could not find a place in the Pakistan squad for the Asia Cup next month as the team management showed faith in rising players such as Sahibzada Farhan. "There's no doubt Babar's been asked to improve in some areas around taking on spin and in terms of his strike rate," Hesson said of the top-order batter who has a modest strike rate of 129 in T20 Internationals. "Those are things he's working really hard on. But at the moment the players we have, have done exceptionally well. "Sahibzada Farhan has played six games and won three player-of-the-match awards." Babar should use the Big Bash League in Australia to improve his 20-overs batting and stage a comeback, Hesson said. "A player like Babar has an opportunity to play in the BBL and show he's improving in those areas in T20s. He's too good a player not to consider," he said. Pakistan will begin their Asia Cup Group A campaign against Oman in Dubai on September 12 before meeting arch-rivals India at the same venue two days later.
Dubai Eye
12 hours ago
- Dubai Eye
Pakistan tell Babar to improve strike rate for T20 comeback
Former Pakistan captain Babar Azam has been told to improve his batting against spin and boost his overall strike rate to be considered for Twenty20 Internationals, coach Mike Hesson said. Babar is Pakistan's batting mainstay in other formats but has not played a T20 International since their tour of South Africa late last year. The 30-year-old could not find a place in the Pakistan squad for the Asia Cup next month as the team management showed faith in rising players such as Sahibzada Farhan. "There's no doubt Babar's been asked to improve in some areas around taking on spin and in terms of his strike rate," Hesson said of the top-order batter who has a modest strike rate of 129 in T20 Internationals. "Those are things he's working really hard on. But at the moment the players we have, have done exceptionally well. "Sahibzada Farhan has played six games and won three player-of-the-match awards." Babar should use the Big Bash League in Australia to improve his 20-overs batting and stage a comeback, Hesson said. "A player like Babar has an opportunity to play in the BBL and show he's improving in those areas in T20s. He's too good a player not to consider," he said. Pakistan will begin their Asia Cup Group A campaign against Oman in Dubai on September 12 before meeting arch-rivals India at the same venue two days later.
