Babar Azam dropped from Pakistan squad for his poor strike-rate, says head coach Mike Hesson

Published - 17 Aug 2025, 21:07 IST | Updated - 17 Aug 2025, 21:11 IST

Pakistan men's team head coach Mike Hesson weighed in on the aspects due to which senior batter Babar Azam was not drafted in Pakistan's 17-member squad for the upcoming Asia Cup 2025. Despite his underwhelming form, Babar's exclusion has come as a shock to many, as the Men in Green announced their .

Hesson revealed that his style of play against spinners and strike rate were a couple of parameters which were a few areas where Babar lacked at present. The New Zealand professional remarked that the upcoming instalment of the Big Bash League presented a wonderful opportunity for Babar to work on the aforementioned aspects.

“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. A player like Babar also has the opportunity to play in the Big Bash League and showcase improvements in those areas of T20 cricket. He’s simply too good a player for us not to consider,” Hesson said at the press conference after the squad announcement as quoted by India Today.

Pakistan announced the squads for the upcoming tri-series and the Asia Cup to be played in the United Arab Emirates. Along with Babar, ODI skipper Mohammad Rizwan was also left out of the squad. The duo have not played any of Pakistan's last three T20I series: Bangladesh (home), Bangladesh (away) and West Indies (away), but their availability for the continental tournament was expected.

Speaking of Babar's T20I record, he has played 128 T20Is for the Men in Green. The 30-year-old has registered 4223 runs in 121 innings. The top-order batter averages 39.83 in the shortest format. However, it is his strike rate, currently at 129.22, which has drawn immense criticism over the years. There have been quite a few instances where the Lahore-born's strike-rate has affected Pakistan's momentum during the middle overs.

Hafeez doesn't consider Babar, Rizwan as 'key players'

The 30-year-old has played in a host of T20 franchise leagues so far: Pakistan Super League, Bangladesh Premier League, Lanka Premier League, Vitality Blast and the Caribbean Premier League. The upcoming BBL season with Sydney Sixers will be Babar's first stint in the Australia's marquee T20 competition.