Explained: Why Pakistan Ignored Naseem Shah And Picked Mohammad Wasim Jr For Asia Cup

Naseem Shah and Wasim Jr [Source: AFP]

On Sunday afternoon, the PCB announced Pakistan's 17-member squad for the upcoming Asia Cup event. Led by Agha Salman, the Men in Green are placed in group A and will cross swords against Oman, UAE and India in the tournament. 

In an interesting move, Pakistan ignored ace speedster Naseem Shah and picked Mohammad Wasim Jr for the Asia Cup 2025. Considering Naseem's stature as a genuine match-winner in white-ball cricket, the decision made fans and experts raise their eyebrows. 

However, as Pakistan have finalised their Asia Cup squad, here are the reasons why they ignored Naseem and chose Wasim Jr for the showpiece event. 

Why Did Pakistan Pick Wasim Jr Over Naseem Shah?

Talking about Wasim Jr, the right-arm pacer played a T20I for the last time back in January 2024. On the contrary, Naseem Shah has been an active all-format player for Pakistan over the years, representing them in 60 white-ball matches. 

There are two significant reasons why Wasim Jr made a T20I comeback ahead of Naseem Shah, as mentioned below. 

Naseem's Prominent Decline As A T20I Bowler

(A comparison between Naseem's stats in 2022 and since 2023)

• As shown in the above table, Naseem Shah hasn't been at his best in T20Is of late. While his average and strike rate with the ball have increased, the right-arm pacer has conceded runs at an abysmal economy of 9.04 since the start of January 2023. 
• Therefore, Naseem's prolonged lean patch in T20Is was the primary reason why the selectors ignored him for the Asia Cup. 

Wasim Jr's all-phase bowling

(Wasim Jr in T20Is in 7-20 overs phase)

• On the other hand, Mohammad Wasim Jr has been a valuable asset for Pakistan in T20I cricket. He has grabbed limited opportunities with both hands, excelling as an effective weapon in the middle as well as death overs. 
• Wasim Jr has bowled more than fifty per cent of his T20I overs in the last two phases unlike Naseem who has mostly been used in the powerplay. As the data presented above suggests, Wasim Jr has a dot% % of 42.7, keeping the batters quiet with his accuracy and variations. 
• So, as Pakistan have quality new ball bowlers like Hasan Ali and Shaheen Afridi, Wasim Jr made a strong case for his inclusion over Naseem Shah, thanks to his ability to test the batters in the final two phases of the game. 

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