Wasim Akram wants Babar Azam to play T20Is despite Asia Cup 2025 snub

DUBAI: Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram on Tuesday threw his weight behind star batter Babar Azam to represent the country in T20Is despite his absence from their squad for the ongoing ACC Men’s T20 Asia Cup 2025.

Babar, who is second on the list of all-time leading run-scorers in T20Is, has been out of favour in the shortest format since the three-match away series against South Africa in December last year.

He ultimately failed to make it to the Pakistan squad for the upcoming Asia Cup as the former champions shift their focus to grooming youngsters ahead of next year’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.

Meanwhile, Akram, who is among the star-studded commentary panel for the continental tournament, called for Babar’s inclusion in the national T20I team, emphasising that his skills would come in handy while chasing a target between 150 and 160 on challenging surfaces.

“Yeah, I just recently said that I want Babar to be in T20. Just you think about him because against stronger sides, if you're going to chase 150 or 160 on a pitch like this or in any slightly dodgy wicket, it'll be difficult,” Akram told an Indian broadcaster.

“You have to change your game a bit. Maybe that will be useful, but I think this team is doing OK. They have given enough chance to Babar and Rizwan as an opener for 4 or 5 years. They did well, but not as well, not as consistent, and hence the new boys,” he added.

The legendary pacer, however, backed the young Pakistani side, including T20I captain Salman Ali Agha, for their brave mindset, claiming that they can beat ‘top’ teams consistently.

“Babar is not there, Rizwan is not there. I think the idea was to move on from them, to go to these youngsters. They've done well, haven’t been consistent, but at least they have the right mindset. They don't have fear of losing. When you have fear of losing, you buckle under pressure,” Wasim Akram continued.

“So these guys, they might lose, but I think Salman Agha is a good captain. He's leading from the front. He sacrifices his place at number 4-5, according to the situation. They shouldn’t make too many experiments with this team. They can beat top teams on a regular basis,” he concluded.