'Babar, Rizwan should be brought back into T20 team,' says former cricketer

KARACHI: Former fast bowler Tanvir Ahmed on Sunday launched a scathing critique of Mike Hesson and captain Salman Ali Agha, demanding that they play good cricket in the upcoming tough series.

Tanvir urges Salman and Hesson to play against stronger teams the same way they did against Bangladesh

He made it clear that if the performance of the young players continues to be poor before the T20 World Cup and Asia Cup, then Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan should be brought back into the T20 team.

Speaking on the local sports platform Pak Passion, Tanvir rejected the notion that he does not support young players because of Babar and Rizwan. He called for senior players not to be wasted.

"People take my words in the wrong direction, claiming that I don't support young stars because of Babar and Rizwan, but that's not the case at all. I want these young players to perform as they did against Bangladesh, and play the same way against all other teams," he said.

Tanvir also urged Salman to play the same brand of cricket against stronger teams. He made it clear that once Pakistan performs well against good teams, he would acknowledge that the country now has the talent.

"Salman Ali Agha is saying that we will now play this brand of cricket, and I want him to play that cricket against teams like New Zealand, England, South Africa, and India in ICC tournaments. Once you play good cricket against these teams, then I'll believe that Pakistan has the talent," he remarked.

The 46-year-old emphasised that once this happened, he would be the first to say that Pakistan no longer needs Babar and Rizwan.

"If the performance against good teams is as promised, and if what Mike Hesson and Salman Agha say is true—that they will build a new team—then I will say, yes, this is the team, and now Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan are no longer needed," he noted.

Tanvir raised concerns about the upcoming series, stressing that they are not easy. He warned that if Pakistan's performance is poor before the World Cup and Asia Cup, Babar and Rizwan should be brought back into the team.

"The upcoming series are against Bangladesh, West Indies, and Afghanistan. If Pakistan's performance is subpar before the Asia Cup or World Cup, then Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan should come back into the team, and they should not be stopped from doing so," he concluded.