Lahore, Aug 17: Pakistan have excluded the senior duo of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan for the upcoming Asia Cup as Salman Ali Agha will continue to lead the side in the T20I format.

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

Babar and Rizwan both were featured in the recently concluded three-match ODI series against the West Indies. The wicketkeeper-batter has been Pakistan's captain in the 50-over format. However, the duo hasn't featured in Pakistan's T20I squad since last year.

There had been speculation that Babar and Rizwan might be recalled to the T20I squad, but the Pakistan selectors stayed committed to their approach, opting instead to back the exciting young talent for the upcoming T20I tri-series and the Asia Cup 2025.

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Only a handful of senior players - ace pacer Shaheen Afridi, express quick Haris Rauf and reliable batters Fakhar Zaman and Khushdil Shah - have managed to retain the selectors’ confidence for the upcoming assignments. Wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Haris has also held on to his place in the squad.

At the same time, the selectors have placed their trust in promising youngsters such as Hasan Nawaz, Salman Mirza and Sufyan Moqim, signalling a continued focus on fresh talent.

The 17-member squad named for the continental tournament will also participate in the upcoming T20I tri-series, featuring Afghanistan, Pakistan and UAE, will be played at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium from August 29 to September 7.

Pakistan squad: Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris (wicket-keeper), Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Waseem Jnr, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Mirza, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Sufyan Moqim.

--IANS

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