Pakistan chief selector Aaqib Javed fired a warning at India ahead of Asia Cup 2025 as he said that their side was ready to beat any opponent. Pakistan named their 17-member squad with Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan both missing out. The Asia Cup will begin on September 9 and the final will be played on September 28. Pakistan are placed in Group A along with India, Oman and United Arab Emirates. Javed said that the team has the ability to beat India and even acknowledged that the clash between the two teams is still the biggest in world cricket. He also hinted at the political tensions between India and Pakistan before adding that it should not put any extra pressure on the cricketers.
“This team has the ability to beat India in the Asia Cup. Whether you like it or not, the match between India and Pakistan is the biggest in world cricket. Every player knows this,” Javed told reporters.
“Our squad can beat any team. Everyone is ready. Everyone knows the situation surrounding the two countries. But we don't need to put extra pressure on them,” he added.
Meanwhile, Pakistan head coach Mike Hesson claimed that former captain Babar Azam has been asked to improve his strike rate following his exclusion from the upcoming Asia Cup squad.
Babar is not the only former T20I captain who has been sidelined for the T20I tri-series and the continental showpiece in the UAE. Wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan is also snubbed from both tournaments. The duo have not played a single T20I game for Pakistan since December last year.
However, Hesson has cleared the air on Babar's repeated omission in the T20I format, saying that he needs to develop an aggressive scoring style to earn a spot back in the shortest format.
"I think it's really harsh to challenge a player on their form in three games," he said at a press conference. "Babar played nicely in the first ODI but missed out on the next two. There's no doubt Babar's been asked to improve in some areas around taking on spin and in terms of his strike rate. Those are things he's working really hard on."
from NDTV News- Special https://ift.tt/nRrk7z2
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