The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Sunday unveiled the national squad for the upcoming UAE tri-series and Asia Cup 2025, retaining all-rounder Salman Ali Agha as captain. The 17-member squad features senior campaigners Fakhar Zaman, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Haris Rauf, alongside young talents such as Saim Ayub, Khushdil Shah, and Hussain Talat. Other inclusions are Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Mohammad Haris, Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Mirza, and Sufyan Moqim.
The UAE tri-series, involving Pakistan, Afghanistan, and the hosts, will take place in Sharjah from August 29 to September 7. Soon after, the Asia Cup will kick off from September 9 to 28 in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. PCB’s Director of High Performance, Aqib Javed, said the squad reflected continuity, with players being rewarded for their recent performances. He emphasized that the focus remained on winning while maintaining consistency in selection.
Commenting on individual players, Javed credited Salman Mirza’s inclusion to his strong performances in Bangladesh, while praising the comeback of Sahibzada Farhan and the progress of Saim Ayub. He stressed that performance is the ultimate criterion for selection, adding that opportunities for senior players like Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan remain open if they excel in domestic or international leagues.
Pakistan’s white-ball head coach Mike Hesson also weighed in on the debate surrounding Babar Azam, noting that while he performed well in parts of the recent West Indies series, improvement was needed in some areas. He clarified that neither Babar nor Rizwan had been permanently sidelined and both could return if they meet the required performance standards. For now, the PCB is backing the selected squad to deliver in the upcoming tournaments.