New Pakistan Coach outlines return path for Babar and Afridi

Saturday, 12 July 2025 00:01 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Mike Hesson

New Pakistan White-Ball Coach Mike Hesson has revealed the steps that experienced duo Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi must take to work their way back into the T20I side.

Babar and Shaheen played a major role in helping Pakistan to consecutive appearances in the knockout stages of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in 2021 and 2022, but have recently fallen out of favour in the shortest format and were notable absentees in Hesson’s first squad that swept Bangladesh 3-0 on home soil at the start of last month.

Hesson suggested Babar and Shaheen are both still heavily in his long-term plans for next year’s T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka and the pair are currently in Karachi taking part in a training camp alongside their teammates that will travel to Bangladesh later this month for a three-match T20I series in Mirpur.

Hesson clarified that Babar’s way back into the team was not by taking the gloves and becoming Pakistan’s first-choice keeper, but that the former skipper was in a battle with fellow top-order batters Fakhar Zaman and Saim Ayub for one of two spots as opener.

Babar’s strike-rate of 129.81 in T20I cricket is inferior to Fakhar (133.49) and Ayub (138.48) and Hesson admitted the right-hander needs to boost his scoring clip to stay relevant in the shortest format.

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