The T20 World Cup 2026 is nearing and teams have started preparing for the T20 World Cup which will be hosted in India in early 2026. The nations who are sure to participate are playing matches to settle their combinations and strategy eyeing to win the title, while the others are playing qualifiers to secure a berth in the main stage. The Asian nations will have a strong platform to test their preparations out when they will clash with each other in the Asia Cup 2025. The Asia Cup 2025 commences on September 9 and the final will be played at September 28. Eight teams will be participating in the Asia Cup this edition, including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan. India’s Likely Squad for Asia Cup 2025: Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer and Other Players Who Can Be Part of Continental T20I Tournament in UAE.

Pakistan have won their last Asia Cup back in 2021. Since then, India has won the title thrice and Sri Lanka have won twice. India are the defending champions having won in 2023. Amid this, Pakistan want to make a comeback and prove that they are still highly competitive level by winning the Asia Cup 2025. It will also make them automatic favourites for the T20 World Cup in 2026 as they will have beaten the defending T20I champions India in the Asia Cup. Under new coach Mike Hesson, they are preparing for that. Salman Ali Agha has been appointed the new captain and the duo has looked to shake up the squad.

Pakistan's new look squad promises a lot for the upcoming competitions. Although, exeperience is always valuable and that makes fans question, will the senior cricketers like Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan also play in the upcoming Asia Cup 2025? They will get the complete information here.

Pakistan’s Likely Squad for Asia Cup 2025

Pakistan's new coach Mike Hesson, who is coming with a successful stint in various leagues and as former head coach of the New Zealand National Cricket, believes in youth and the need to be flexible in the T20I setup. Hesson opted to go for young cricketers in the last two tours of Bangladesh and West Indies and despite having lost the series against Bangladesh, they won against West Indies.

Under Hesson, captain Salman Ali Agha has backed the likes Sahibzada Farhan, Hassan Nawaz, Mohammd Haris and Saim Ayub as the top order batters. They are fearless and can play with intent applying ferocious strokes. The only senior batter who has featured in the top and middle order along the youngsters is Fakhar Zaman. It is very much likely Hesson wants continuity there and not much change. Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, who has been regulars in the top order, now face a challenge while eying a comeback.

While the bowling attack still has the familiar names like Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris rauf, Faheem Ashraf has regularly featured as the seam-bowling all-rounder of the side and Mohammad Nawaz has supported him as the spin-bowling counterpart. Which makes things difficult for Shadab Khan to get his spot back in the playing XI, specially with Abrar Ahmed and Sufiyan Muqeem as the two frontline spinners of Pakistan.

Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan have faced regular criticism in the past for being too passive in their approach. Since they were the top order batters, that impacted the team badly. It is unlikely that in case of a big chang up previous to the Asia Cup 2025, they will make a comeback. Although a poor performance of the Pakistan national cricket team can spark a debate over their non-selection. When Is India vs Pakistan Asia Cup 2025 Cricket Match? Know Details for High-Voltage IND vs PAK Game in Continental Tournament.

Pakistan's Likely Squad For Asia Cup 2025: Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Haris (Wk), Salman Ali Agha, Hassan Nawaz, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Sufiyan Muqeem, Abrar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Naseem Shah, Hussain Talat.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 07, 2025 04:25 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).