'Boys might lose...'- Wasim Akram optimistic about Pakistan's Asia Cup 2025 winning chances

No Babar Azam, no Mohammad Rizwan. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) formed a new-look T20I squad for the Asia Cup 2025. It will be interesting to see how they perform in the tournament. Pakistan cricket legend Wasim Akram focused on the possibilities of the Salma Ali Agha-led team in the contest.

According to Akram, PCB made bold choices by excluding star players like Azam and Rizwan. Without these two batters, the Pakistan cricket team experienced ups and downs during their recent outings. But, before the tournament, they came out victorious in a T20I Tri-Nation series involving Afghanistan and the United Arab Emirates, which definitely provided them extra oxygen to breathe.

Akram opined that with a bunch of new talents, the mindset of the team has suddenly changed, which is necessary for a team which is going through a transitional phase. Acknowledging the efforts made by Babar and Rizwan for years, the Pakistan cricket legend feels that they did not meet the heights they could achieve. So, the team selectors made the correct choice to show trust in young stars. Despite criticisms, the former cricketer also said that Salman Ali Agha is a good captain to lead the team.

Wasim Akram hopeful about positive outcomes

"I think this team is doing OK. They have given enough chances to Babar and Rizwan as openers for 4 or 5 years. They did well, but not as well, not as consistently, and hence the new boys, Wasim Akram said.

"Babar is not there, Rizwan is not there. I think the idea was to move on from them, to go to these youngsters. They’ve done well; they haven’t been consistent, but at least they have the right mindset. They don’t have a fear of losing. When you have a fear of losing, you buckle under pressure. So these guys, they might lose, but I think Salman Agha is a good captain."

Pakistan squad for Asia Cup 2025:

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