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"Wanted To See Babar In...": Wasim Akram Opens Up On Pakistan's Asia Cup Squad

Probuddha Bhattacharjee

Wasim Akram & Babar Azam [Source: AFP Media]Wasim Akram & Babar Azam [Source: AFP Media]

One of Pakistan cricket's legends, Wasim Akram, has expressed his disappointment over the absence of Babar Azam from Pakistan's Asia Cup 2025 squad. Notably, the continental tournament will be played from September 9 to 28 in the United Arab Emirates.

Babar Azam has been one of the most consistent performers for Pakistan, irrespective of the format. However, in recent times, his scoring rate in the shortest format has often drawn his criticism from fans and experts. This has, in turn, led to the second-highest run-scorer of all time in T20Is falling out of favour with the national selectors and losing his spot in the T20 team.

Wasim Akram Wanted To See Babar Azam In The Asia Cup Team

Wasim Akram has always been a well-wisher of Pakistan cricket and has tried to work for it from the grassroots level, even grooming talents at the franchise level. The Pakistan legend speaking about the absence of a star batter is thus not surprising.

As quoted by GeoSuperTv, Akram told a sports news website:

"Personally, I wanted to see Babar Azam in the team, but since he's not been selected, it is up to those in the squad to step up."

Time For Fakhar Zaman, Saim Ayub To Step Up

Until Babar Azam was part of the T20 setup, he was mainly seen opening the innings for Pakistan or batting up the order. His general style of playing involved settling down first and then trying to accelerate as he gained an understanding of the conditions. Although this ensured consistency, it appeared to be an outdated approach, given how the other teams are currently viewing the game.

However, the irony lies in the fact that the players that Pakistan have included in his place are yet to show explosive batting or consistency. In the absence of players like Babar and Mohammad Rizwan, the onus will be on Fakhar Zaman and Saim Ayub to provide Pakistan with regular, consistent starts. But in recent games, the Pakistan top order has not yet delivered as expected. It would be interesting to see how the team shapes up in Agha Salman's leadership and how they compose the team for the upcoming tournament.