In just 15 months, Babar Azam has gone from being reinstated as Pakistan’s T20I captain for the World Cup in the West Indies to being completely overlooked in the format. After being left out of the series against Bangladesh and the West Indies, Babar—who not long ago was ranked No. 1 in T20Is by the ICC—faced a similar fate on Sunday when he was omitted from the 17-man squad for the upcoming Asia Cup.
Pakistan’s white-ball head coach Mike Hesson broke his silence on the decision, revealing that the star batter has been asked to improve his strike rate, particularly against spinners. He further suggested that Babar could use the Big Bash League (BBL) as a pathway for his T20I comeback.
“There’s no doubt Babar has been asked to improve in some areas, particularly against spin and in terms of his strike-rate. Those are aspects I know he’s working very hard on at the moment,” he said in the press conference after the announcement of the Asia Cup squad.
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“A player like Babar also has the opportunity to play in the BBL and showcase improvements in those areas of T20 cricket. He’s simply too good a player for us not to consider.”
{{/usCountry}}“A player like Babar also has the opportunity to play in the BBL and showcase improvements in those areas of T20 cricket. He’s simply too good a player for us not to consider.”
{{/usCountry}}Since January 2022, Babar has had a strike rate of 122.91 against spinners across all T20s. Among the 20 batters who have faced at least 1000 deliveries against the variety, it is the worst. Mohammad Rizwan, who was also overlooked for the Asia Cup, stands second on the list with a strike rate of 123.35.
Babar last played a T20I in December 2024. He later participated in the 2025 PSL season, scoring 56*, 53*, and 94 in his last seven appearances for Peshawar Zalmi. The former captain was more recently part of the ODI series in the West Indies, where he scored 47, 0, and 9 across three matches.
The Asia Cup will be played in the UAE, from 9 to 28 September. Ahead of the tournament, the Salman Ali Agha-led side will participate in a T20I tri-series against Afghanistan and the UAE at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium from 29 August to 7 September.