Pakistan trying to include Babar Azam in the Squad before the Asia Cup final

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Pakistan trying to include Babar in the Squad before the final: Pakistan has once again been embarrassed ahead of the Asia Cup 2025 final against India. In fact, the Pakistan team had made a move to strengthen its batting. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had tried to take a major step to strengthen the team before the final. According to Pakistani media reports, after losing both the group stage and Super-4 matches against India, the PCB had planned to bring back former captain Babar Azam into the team. However, the tournament organizers rejected this proposal.

Will Babar Azam play in the Asia Cup 2025 final?

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According to a report by Cricket Pakistan, the PCB had decided to send Babar Azam to the UAE and include him in the team, but the organizers clearly told the board that this was no longer possible. According to reports, the organizers told the PCB, "A player can only be included in the squad if a member of the current squad is injured." This rule prevented Babar Azam's return to the Asia Cup.

According to a report in Cricket Pakistan, Babar Azam is expected to return to the Pakistani T20 team for the T20 series against South Africa. A proposal to send the senior batsman to Dubai for the Asia Cup failed to materialize. Babar Azam last played a T20 International against South Africa in December. Since then, he has not been included in Pakistan's T20 squad, citing his strike rate as the reason. Selector Aaqib Javed and head coach Mike Hesson believe that replacing Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan with new players is the right policy.

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Babar Azam's participation in the red-ball camp

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Babar Azam has recently been invited to a red-ball training camp at Pakistan's National Cricket Academy (NCA). The camp will begin on Tuesday and run until September 28th. The PCB issued a statement, saying, "The camp is designed to allow players to work on their skills, assess their fitness, and prepare for the upcoming international season. The selected players are not participating in the Hanif Mohammad Trophy. During this 20-day camp, the players will train at the NCA and participate in scenario-based matches." In addition to Babar Azam, the camp also includes Abdullah Shafique, Ali Raza, Azan Awais, Kamran Ghulam, and others.

Rizwan and Naseem Shah busy with CPL

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Experienced wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Rizwan and star fast bowler Naseem Shah will not be part of the camp as they are currently playing in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2025. The two-Test series between Pakistan and South Africa will begin on October 12. The first Test will be played in Lahore and the second in Rawalpindi on October 20.

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