Data Doesn't Lie: Why Babar And Rizwan's Asia Cup Snub Is Hard To Justify By Agha Salman

Pakistan numbers without Babar, Rizwan [Source: AFP Photo]

The Asia Cup is set to commence on Tuesday, and before the marquee event, the captains from all eight teams gathered for a pre-tournament press conference, and as expected, Pakistan captain, Agha Salman was asked about the omission of Babar Azam, and Mohammad Rizwan from the T20I setup.

Both the star players were snubbed from the Asia Cup squad due to poor strike rate, and in their place, the Men in Blue tried out new players, and the result was a tri-series tournament win recently.

When asked about the absence of Babar, and Rizwan from the team, Salman Ali Agha had a witty reply: 

“We have played incredible cricket in the last four months. We won 3 out of 4 series. It’s going to be challenging, but we’re excited.”

But, the real question arises, are Pakistan really doing well without the absentees, or Agha Salman is living in a different world?.

Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan - T20I numbers tell a different story

While both players were omitted due to their poor strike rate, the numbers from 2025 tell a completely different story than what Agha Salman has portrayed.

(Rizwan T2O stats in 2025)

• Contrary to the belief that Rizwan has been poor with his strike rate approach, his numbers are more than decent. The Pakistan keeper has a strike rate of 137 in 2025 across all T20 matches, and has scored runs at an average of 55.
• Even on sluggish wickets in the CPL 2025, Rizwan has shown his class and has racked up runs in tricky conditions.

(Babar Azam in T20Is since Agha Salman debut)

• Since November 2024, Babar has struck at 150 in the T20Is, and even though runs have been hard to come by, he adopted a different approach, and the strike rate automatically increased.
• The data showcases that both Rizwan, and Babar have changed their tempo and have found ways to score runs in T20s.

Pakistan's current top 3 strike rate in 2025

(Pakistan top 3 numbers in T20Is in 2025)

• Babar and Rizwan were replaced by Sahibzada Farhan and Saim Ayub at the top, and Fakhar was demoted to number 3. The only batter who has justified his selection in the team has been Sahibzada Farhan, who has scored runs at a strike rate of 146.
• The other two batters have failed to deliver the goods, with Saim Ayub striking at 134, and Fakhar playing at 127.36.
• While Babar and Rizwan, who struck at more than 135, were omitted from the side, players with a strike rate less than theirs were picked.

Not batters, but all-rounders have helped Pakistan win matches

In the recently concluded UAE tri-series, the top three failed to deliver the goods, and it was the all-rounders who helped Pakistan win the competition. Agha Salman, himself scored a fifty, while Mohammad Nawaz picked up a fifer to stun Afghanistan in the finals.

Hence, Agha Salman's claims that Pakistan have been doing well without Babar, and Rizwan is actually false.

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