Rashid Latif: “They’re playing in the Big Bash and will earn decent money, and I don’t think they’d want to return either. That’s just my opinion. The PCB should give them some liberty to explore other leagues”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former Pakistan wicketkeeper-batsman Rashid Latif has a feeling that left-arm seamer Shaheen Shah Afridi and batsmen Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan don’t want to return to T20Is.
Azam and Rizwan have been left out of Pakistan’s T20I squad for quite some time now, but Afridi recently made his comeback in the format.
Despite Afridi’s return, Latif remains unconvinced about the trio’s commitment to T20Is.
He also noted that if Afridi, Azam and Rizwan don’t have a future in the shortest format, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) should give them more freedom to play in T20 leagues around the world.
This comes after Azam was signed by the Sydney Sixers for the upcoming season of the Big Bash League (BBL), while Afridi and Rizwan were drafted by the Brisbane Heat and Melbourne Renegades respectively.
“They’re playing in the Big Bash and will earn decent money, and I don’t think they’d want to return either. That’s just my opinion. The PCB should give them some liberty to explore other leagues. Otherwise, it’s fine,” Latif was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
“The new players should be given a chance – it’s a great opportunity, especially with the Asia Cup and other upcoming events. It’s all good; the game will keep progressing.”
Azam, Rizwan and Afridi all featured in the 2025 Pakistan Super League (PSL), where they captained the Peshawar Zalmi, Multan Sultans and Lahore Qalandars respectively.
Azam scored 288 runs in 10 games, which included three fifties, at an average of 36 and a strike-rate of 128.57.
Rizwan, meanwhile, made 367 runs in 10 matches, which included a century and a fifty, at an average of 52.42 and a strike-rate of 139.54.
As for Afridi, he was the highest wicket-taker in PSL 10 with 19 wickets in 13 matches at an average of 16.42 and an economy rate of 7.76.
Following this, none of them were picked for Pakistan’s three-match T20I series against Bangladesh in Lahore and the T20I tour of Bangladesh.
Afridi ended up returning for the T20I series against the West Indies and took two wickets in two games at an average of 29 and an economy rate of 7.25.
In the ODI series that followed, Rizwan captained the side and amassed 69 runs, which included a top score of 53, at an average of 23.
Azam struck 56 runs at an average of 18.66, while Afridi picked up four wickets in two matches at an average of 21.50.
Pakistan will now play a T20I tri-series against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Afghanistan in Sharjah, which will take place from August 29 to September 7.
Afterwards, the men in green will participate in the 2025 Asia Cup, which will be held in the UAE from September 9 to 28.
Pakistan squad for UAE T20I tri-series and 2025 Asia Cup: Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Mirza, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem