Wasim Akram's Blunt Admission On Babar Azam-Mohammad Rizwan-Less Pakistan: "Enough Chances..."

Legendary pacer Wasim Akram has welcomed Pakistan's decision to leave out veteran batters Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan for the ongoing Asia Cup 2025. Sharing his views on Pakistan's current T20I side, the 59-year-old suggested that the youngsters have done a decent job in the absence of the two big names. "I think this team is doing OK. They have given enough chances to Babar and Rizwan as openers for 4 or 5 years. They did well, but not as well, not as consistently, and hence the new boys," said Akram, while speaking on Sony Sports.

According to the former Pakistan captain, Babar and Rizwan were given enough chances, but were not able to justify their T20I credentials, and hence, the management decided to bring in some fresh faces.

"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 a fear of losing. When you have a fear of losing, you buckle under pressure. So these guys, they might lose, but I think Salman Agha is a good captain," he added.

Akram also reserved high praise for Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha, and backed him to take Pakistan in the right direction.

"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 said.

However, Akram suggested that Pakistan should recall Babar in the T20I side going forward, as his experience can come in handy.

"I just recently said that I want Babar to be in T20. Just 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. You have to change your game a bit. Maybe that will be useful," Akram concluded.

Notably, Babar and Rizwan last played a T20I in December last year against South Africa in Centurion.

Topics mentioned in this article

Pakistan Cricket Team Babar Azam Mohammad Rizwan Agha Salman Wasim Akram Asia Cup 2025 Cricket