Pakistan has finalized its 17-member squad for the 2025 Asia Cup, and chief selector Aaqib Javed is brimming with confidence that the team has enough strength to challenge even the mighty Indian side.
Historically, Pakistan has managed to win only three out of 13 T20Is against India. Yet, Aaqib Javed firmly believes that this group of players has what it takes to reverse the narrative in the upcoming continental event.
The squad announcement came with notable omissions—star batter Babar Azam and wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan. However, Javed clarified that their absence does not mean the duo has been sidelined permanently.
“𝑷𝒂𝒌𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏’𝒔 𝑻20 𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒎 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒃𝒆𝒂𝒕 𝑰𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒂. 𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 17-𝒎𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒒𝒖𝒂𝒅 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒅𝒆𝒇𝒆𝒂𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒐𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒊𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒚 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝒅𝒐𝒎. 𝑰𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒂 𝒗𝒔 𝑷𝒂𝒌𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏 𝒊𝒔 𝒂𝒍𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒎𝒂𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒗𝒆, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒘𝒆 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅𝒏’𝒕 𝒂𝒅𝒅 𝒆𝒙𝒕𝒓𝒂 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒔𝒆 𝒃𝒐𝒚𝒔,” 𝑱𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅 𝒅𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆.
Aaqib Javed Confident in Pakistan’s Squad Ahead of India Clash
Aaqib Javed pointed to examples of players such as Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, and Fakhar Zaman, who have fought their way back into contention with consistent domestic and franchise performances. He stressed that the current selection reflects growth and adaptability.
“All players were chosen strictly on merit,” the former pacer emphasized, explaining that standout performances in global T20 leagues like the Big Bash and the PSL played a decisive role in the squad’s formation.
“𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒄𝒂𝒏’𝒕 𝒑𝒖𝒕 𝒂 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒎𝒑 𝒐𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒚𝒆𝒓’𝒔 𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒆𝒓—𝒐𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒖𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒍𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒐𝒑𝒆𝒏. 𝑾𝒉𝒐𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒎𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒚, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒎𝒂𝒕 𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔,” 𝑱𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒅𝒅𝒆𝒅.
The Agha Salman-led squad will enter the Asia Cup determined to prove themselves on the big stage. Pakistan has been drawn into Group A, alongside arch-rivals India, hosts the UAE, and Oman. The tournament kicks off on September 9, 2025, and Pakistan will be banking on their fresh roster to make a serious push for the trophy.
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