Asia Cup 2025: 'Babar is better' - Former India cricketer lambasts Pakistan skipper Salman Agha

Asia Cup 2025: ‘Babar is better’ - Irfan Pathan lambasts Pakistan skipper Salman Agha. (Photo source: Getty Images)

Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan strongly criticised the Pakistan cricket team for its poor batting displays in the ongoing Asia Cup 2025. Notably, Pakistan had dropped senior players Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan for the tournament, a decision that has drawn considerable attention.

While the duo has often been questioned over their strike rates, Pathan pointed out that during Pakistan’s Super 4 clash against Bangladesh on Wednesday, skipper Salman Agha scored at a strike rate of just 111, lower than Babar’s average strike rate of 130. Pathan further remarked that Pakistan’s batting unit lacks stability and consistency, which not only affects team performance but also leaves individual players feeling insecure about their roles.

"Stability is never there in the Pakistan team. Anyone could become captain, anyone could become selector. Things could really change because of that. The players too get impacted. This is why the Pakistan players are insecure," said Pathan on Sony Sports Network.

"How much freehand the new coach is giving to his players, we don't know this. Only Mike Hesson could answer this. I myself am a big critic of Babar Azam, but the boys who have been playing here in middle overs, Babar is better than them," he added.

Among the Pakistan players overlooked for the continental tournament, the exclusion of Babar and Rizwan drew significant attention. Once considered automatic selections in the format, both were left out of the squad for the T20 Asia Cup 2025. Pakistan’s chief selector Aqib Javed later addressed the decision, offering his perspective on their omission.

"It is not impossible that Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan will never play T20Is. We are not writing them off. At the moment, we have some players such as Fakhar Zaman, Saim Ayub and Sahibzada Farhan. The players who are performing only those will play. We have some good choices, and it is a good thing for cricket. If both Babar and Rizwan perform like the other players, they will definitely get back into the squad. We have given them guidelines regarding how they can get better," Javed had said.