"The way you’ve removed them is wrong" - Former Pakistan spinner's scathing attack on selectors for Babar Azam's axing ahead of PAK vs NZ 2025 T20Is

Former Pakistan spinner Saeed Ajmal has slammed the selectors for dropping stars Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan from the T20I side for the upcoming white-ball tour of New Zealand. Following a dismal 2025 Champions Trophy campaign that ended in a first-round exit, Pakistan sprung major surprises with their announcement of the T20I and ODI squads for the New Zealand tour.

While ace pacer Shaheen Afridi was dropped from the ODI side, Babar and Rizwan were snubbed from the T20I squad and Salman Agha was appointed as the captain. The move raised several eyebrows, considering Babar and Rizwan hold the record for the most runs by an opening pair in T20Is with 3,300 at an average of 46.47.

However, they both have a T20I strike rate under 130, resulting in Pakistan often enduring slow starts to their innings.

Talking about the decision to drop Babar and Rizwan in T20Is, Ajmal told Sportstar:

"Look, the way you’ve removed them is wrong. It’s not like they are the only ones who haven’t scored, while others have. That’s not the case. Ideally, the selectors should sit down with Babar, and discuss about rest so that he can come back stronger."

He added:

"Mark my words, they will again get them back into the T20I team. If you want to send a clear message to Babar and Rizwan stating that they won’t be considered going forward, that’s one thing. But you have dropped them from T20Is, but they are still part of ODIs. So, what do you do if they score runs in ODIs against New Zealand? You bring them back again to the T20I squad?"

Pakistan's recent T20I results potentially played a massive role in the pair's axing from the squad. The Men in Green have lost three out of their last four bilateral T20I series, with the lone win coming against a lowly Zimbabwe outfit.

Their struggles in bilateral series aside, Pakistan also suffered an embarrassing first-round exit in the 2024 T20 World Cup, losing their group stage matches to the USA and India.

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"If they are your proven match winners, you don’t need aggression" - Saeed Ajmal

Pakistan's long-time T20I opening duo have often struggled to up the ante [Credit: Getty]

Saeed Ajmal defended Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan's prowess in the shortest format, calling them match-winners despite a relatively low strike rate. The duo played major roles in Pakistan's impressive runs in the 2021 and 2022 T20 World Cups, where the side finished as semifinalists and runners-up.

"Babar and Rizwan are great players. Their stats are as good as anyone, but the only difference is - they don’t bat aggressively, but they still score runs. Our guys have suddenly realised that in international cricket, everyone plays aggressively. Come on, what aggression are we talking about? If they are your proven match winners, you don’t need aggression," said Ajmal.

He added:

"Even legends like Virat often pace their innings slowly before attacking, that’s his style. We need to allow our players to play their natural game, and ensure that they are mentally in the right space."

Pakistan will play five T20Is against New Zealand, starting in Christchurch on March 16. Babar and Rizwan will return to action in the three ODIs that follow, starting March 29.

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