Babar Azam to feature in India vs Pakistan Asia Cup 2025 clash as T20I return confirmed
Pakistani modern-day veteran batter Babar Azam finally sees a ray of hope for being recalled into the national T20I side ahead of the Asia Cup 2025. His inclusion would depend on his performance in the upcoming series against the West Indies.
Pakistan is currently going through a hectic schedule in international cricket, as they are preparing to make a strong comeback with the Asia Cup 2025, after their failure in the ICC tournaments over the course of the last 2 years.
They played in a series against Bangladesh and followed it with another white-ball series against the West Indies. The ODI series against the West Indies is yet to begin. After the conclusion of the same, they are scheduled to feature in a tri-nation series against Afghanistan and the UAE, which concludes on the 7th of September, just 2 days before the onset of the Asia Cup 2025.
Babar Azam likely to return for Pakistan in T20s ahead of Asia Cup 2025
With the hectic schedule to follow, Pakistan would need more fit players in the squad, and some players have already been knocked out due to injury concerns.
Under such circumstances, Pakistan has hinted towards going back to one of their most reliable batters, Babar Azam, who has been overlooked in T20s due to concerning form in the format.
The recent reports from Pakistani media suggest that Babar Azam has been considered for a possible comeback into the T20I side, ahead of the tri-nation series and the ACC Men's Asia Cup 2025.
The development comes as concerns continue to grow about the availability of Pakistani opener Fakhar Zaman for the upcoming continental championship. Recently, Babar, alongside Mohammad Rizwan and Naseem Shah, was spotted meeting the PCB chief, Mohsin Naqvi, during the second T20I against the West Indies.
Fakhar Zaman's availability is in question for the Asia Cup
Fakhar Zaman, the experienced left-handed opener from Pakistan, was seen featuring in two T20 games against the West Indies but injured his hamstring while fielding in the 19th over of the second T20I.
As a result of this injury, he was ruled out of the third T20 and has been ruled out of the upcoming ODI series against the West Indies as well. Some sources of Pakistani media have revealed that Fakhar has been instructed to report to the National Cricket Academy in Lahore, where he will undergo rehabilitation from his injury.
This has kept his participation in the upcoming Asia Cup under reasonable doubt, and hence, Babar Azam has been cited as the strongest backup plan in the T20I setup. Though the reports reveal that Babar's performance in the ODI series will be the deciding factor on his selection for the Asia Cup as well as the tri-series.
Pakistan's Asia Cup 2025 schedule
The final squad of the Pakistan T20I side for the Asia Cup 2025 is yet to be announced, and Babar Azam can be part of it based on his show at Trinidad.
The Asia Cup will kick off on the 9th of September in the UAE, with Pakistan being placed in the same group alongside archrivals India, hosts UAE, and Oman. They will kickstart their campaign against Oman on September 12, followed by the debatable contest against India on September 14 and the final match against the UAE on 17th.
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Pakistan National Cricket Team Asia Cup 2025 Babar Azam Pakistan vs West Indies India National Cricket Team
