Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan are currently being overlooked in Pakistan’s T20 scheme of things. However, an interesting development has been reported in the Pakistani media. After Pakistan lost the Asia Cup 2025 group stage match (on September 14) and the Super 4 match (on September 21) against India, the Pakistan Cricket Board wanted to rope in former captain Babar Azam, according to a report in Cricket Pakistan. However, the Asia Cup 2025 organisers rejected the request and replied that a player can be added to the squad mid-tournament only if an existing squad member is injured.
Babar Azam was last selected in the Pakistan T20I squad in December last year.
The report also painted a grim picture for the current captain Salman Ali Agha. “Sources revealed that there is a strong possibility of Babar Azam’s return for the T20I series against South Africa. With the batting lineup consistently failing, the absence of a senior batter is being strongly felt. The decision on Salman Ali Agha’s role as captain and player will depend on his performance in the remaining Asia Cup match,” the report said.
“After two recent defeats against India, PCB officials have instructed that Babar Azam be brought back into the team. A few days ago, it was even decided to send the senior batter to the UAE for the Asia Cup, but the organizers made it clear to the board that no changes could be made to the squad unless a player was injured.”
Recently, Pakistan’s premier batter Babar Azam was called for a red-ball training camp at the National Cricket Academy (NCA), which will commence on Tuesday, along with 10 other players ahead of the upcoming home Tests against South Africa.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) released a statement on Saturday to confirm that the 11 selected players will report on Monday. The camp will run until September 28 and will be overseen by interim red-ball head coach Azhar Mahmood as well as NCA coaches and support staff. The pool of 11 players features Babar, Abdullah Shafique, Ali Raza, Azan Awais, Kamran Ghulam, and other talented stars.
“The camp has been designed to provide players with support to work on their skills, as well as to assess fitness ahead of a busy red-ball international and domestic season. The players selected are those not involved in the ongoing Hanif Mohammad Trophy (four-day). In the 20-day camp, the players will train at the National Cricket Academy and will also take part in scenario-based matches,” PCB said in its statement.
Experienced wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan and star pacer Naseem Shah remained unavailable for selection due to their ongoing stint in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2025. Pakistan will lock horns with the Proteas in two Tests, with the opener set to be staged in Lahore from October 12, followed by the second fixture in Rawalpindi from October 20.