Tanvir Ahmed: “My request to Babar Azam and Rizwan is that if you feel your respect is not intact, then consider retiring from international cricket. We have examples of Virat Kohli in front of us. Babar and Rizwan, respect is in your hands”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former Pakistan fast bowler Tanvir Ahmed believes it might be time for batsman Babar Azam and ODI captain Mohammad Rizwan to retire from international cricket.
Explaining why they should consider such a drastic move, Tanvir noted that if they feel they are not being respected by the national selectors, walking away from the Pakistan team could be the right move.
The duo have been left out of the T20I squad for quite some time and there are growing questions about their spots in ODIs and Tests too since they have struggled to perform consistently as of late.
Most recently, Azam and Rizwan featured in the three-match ODI series against the West Indies, with the former scoring 56 runs at an average of 18.66.
Rizwan, meanwhile, finished with 69 runs, which included a top score of 53, at an average of 23.
“My request to Babar Azam and Rizwan is that if you feel your respect is not intact, then consider retiring from international cricket. We have examples of Virat Kohli in front of us. Babar and Rizwan, respect is in your hands,” Tanvir was quoted as saying by A Sports.
After the West Indies tour, Pakistan took on the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Afghanistan in a T20I tri-series in Sharjah, but Azam and Rizwan were not included in the team.
They also failed to make the cut for the ongoing 2025 Asia Cup, which is being played in the UAE.
In the group stage, Pakistan beat Oman and the UAE, but lost to India.
That record still earned them a spot in the Super Four, where they began with a six-wicket loss to India.
Pakistan’s next match will be against Sri Lanka on September 23 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