Pakistan's all-time highest run scorer in T20I cricket, Babar Azam faced a snub from their Asia Cup 2025 squad announced on Sunday, August 17.
The former skipper missing out on the squad doesn't come as a huge surprise to the followers of Pakistan cricket, after the batter missed out on all 14 T20Is played by the team in 2025.
However, considering the stature of Babar as their star player, head coach Mike Hesson has clarified that the doors for the classy batter have not been closed and that he is still considered among the names for the opening spot.
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Here's what Hesson had to say about Babar's exclusion from the T20I squad, ahead of marquee events like the Asia Cup and the T20 World Cup 2026.
Why was Babar Azam dropped from Pakistan's T20I squad?
The former all-format Pakistan captain last played a T20I for Pakistan in December 2024, where Pakistan suffered a 6-wicket defeat against South Africa in Centurion.
The match in Centurion ended an underwhelming year of T20I batting for Babar, where he could only score 738 runs in 23 innings with a strike rate of just 133.21. Pakistan notably also faced an embarrassing group stage exit in the T20 World Cup under his leadership, losing to the likes of the USA.
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Coach Hesson has clarified that the opener has been asked to improve his T20I strike rate, particularly against spin and reassured that he is still in their plans for the format.
"There's no doubt that Babar Azam has been asked to improve in some areas, particularly against spin and in terms of strike rate. He's working hard to improve," said Hesson.
"Babar Azam has an opportunity to play in the BBL and show that he's improving in the areas needed in T20Is. He's too good a player for us not to consider," he concluded.
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While batting for Pakistan in T20Is, Babar boasts 1433 runs against spin-bowlers in 97 innings at an underwhelming strike rate of just 121.4.
His batting numbers in the format have consistently fallen after his famous peak of 2019-21, when he was compared with the Fab-4.
Currently, it is highly unlikely that he will make an immediate return to the shortest format, with Pakistan preferring young blood like Saim Ayub and Sahibzada Farhan alongside Fakhar Zaman for the opening position.