Are Babar and Rizwan Still in Pakistan’s Plans for the Tri-Series?

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has not yet included Babar Azam and wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan in its plans for the upcoming tri-nation T20I series against Afghanistan and the UAE this month or the Asia Cup in September 2025.

Both batsmen had a hard time in the last three-match ODI series against the West Indies, and they haven’t played in the shorter format since they were dropped from the squad in December 2024.

In the first game, Babar scored 47 runs, in the second game he got out on three balls, and in the last game he scored nine runs. In the first game of the series, Rizwan scored 53 runs, in the second game he scored 16 runs, and in the third game he got out on the first ball.

Salman Mirza and all-rounder Ahmed Daniyal are scheduled to rejoin the team for the tri-series, thus two pacers will be back.

In the recent three-match T20I series against Bangladesh, both players did well. Mirza grabbed seven wickets in three matches, and Daniyal took three wickets and scored 17 runs in two games, even though Pakistan lost the series 2-1.

The two will take the place of Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf, who will be rested to manage their workloads. They are scheduled to come back for the Asia Cup 2025 in September.

It’s important to note that the tri-series will take place at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in the UAE from August 29 to September 7.

This tri-series will be an important warm-up for all three sides before the ACC Men’s T20 Asia Cup, which will also take place in the UAE from September 9 to 28. The competition will give participants a great chance to become used to the local conditions before the continental clash.

Pakistan was supposed to host Afghanistan in a two-way T20I series in August at first. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), on the other hand, suggested turning it into a three-nation series and transferring the games to the UAE to help teams get ready for the Asia Cup.

Pakistan will play Afghanistan on Friday, August 29, to start the tri-series. The game will start at 7:00 PM local time.

Each team will play the other teams twice, therefore all teams will play at least four games before the top two teams move on to the final on September 7.

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