Has been asked to improve strike-rate: Hesson on Babar's exclusion from Asia Cup squad

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.

“But at the moment, the players we have have done exceptionally well. Sahibzada Farhan has played six games and won three Player of the Match awards.

Babar is slated to play for the Adelaide Strikers in the Big Bash League later this year - an opportunity Hesson views as a key step in his path to making a strong comeback.

“A player like Babar has an opportunity to play in the BBL and show he’s improving in those areas in T20s. He’s too good a player not to consider,” Hesson said.

Shaheen Afridi, who had recently fallen out of favour in T20s, has kept his spot for both the tri-series and the Asia Cup. However, Naseem Shah has been left out once again, despite currently featuring in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL).

In the build-up to the Asia Cup, the Salman Ali Agha-led side will participate in a T20I tri-series against Afghanistan and the UAE at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium from Aug. 29 to Sept. 7.

The eight-team Asia Cup, to be played in T20I format, will be staged in Abu Dhabi and Dubai from Sept. 9 to 28. Pakistan are placed in Group ‘A’ alongside India, Oman and UAE. They will open their campaign against Oman on Sept. 12 before the blockbuster clash against archrivals India on Sept. 14.

Indo-Asian News Service