Tanvir Ahmed: “If Pakistan’s performance is subpar before the Asia Cup or World Cup, then Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan should come back into the team, and they should not be stopped from doing so”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former Pakistan pace bowler Tanvir Ahmed wants the batting duo of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan to return to the T20I team if the men in green fail to perform well prior to the 2026 T20 World Cup.
The T20 World Cup is scheduled to take place in India and Sri Lanka between February and March 2026.
Pakistan are trying out a number of young talents in the shortest format, but Tanvir noted that if they fail to produce the results expected of them, then Azam and Rizwan “should not be stopped” from making their T20I comebacks.
“If Pakistan’s performance is subpar before the Asia Cup or World Cup, then Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan should come back into the team, and they should not be stopped from doing so,” the 46-year-old told PakPassion as quoted by Geo Super.
Azam and Rizwan recently missed Pakistan’s T20I series against Bangladesh in Lahore, the T20I tour of Bangladesh, and the T20I series against the West Indies.
However, Rizwan did captain the men in green in the ODI series against the West Indies, scoring 69 runs in three games, which included a top score of 53, at an average of 23.
As for Azam, he finished with 56 runs at an average of 18.66.
After the tour of the West Indies, both of them were left out of Pakistan’s squad for the T20I tri-series against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Afghanistan in Sharjah, which the men in green won.
Pakistan are now taking part in the 2025 Asia Cup, which is being played in the UAE.
They began with a 93-run win over Oman before losing to India by seven wickets.
Despite the loss, the men in green secured their spot in the Super Four with a comfortable 41-run win over the UAE.
Next up for Pakistan will be another match against India on September 21 in Dubai.
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
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