Babar Azam Urged to Improve for T20I Return, Says Coach Hesson

Lahore: Former Pakistan captain Babar Azam has been advised to sharpen his game against spin and enhance his strike rate if he wishes to make a return to the national Twenty20 International (T20I) squad, head coach Mike Hesson revealed on Monday.

Despite being a key figure in Pakistan’s batting line-up in Tests and ODIs, Babar has not featured in a T20I match since the tour of South Africa in late 2024. His absence continues into next month’s Asia Cup, where the selectors have opted to back emerging talent, including in-form batter Sahibzada Farhan.

“There’s no doubt Babar’s been asked to improve in some areas around taking on spin and in terms of his strike rate,” Hesson said, referring to Babar’s career T20I strike rate of 129. “Those are things he’s working really hard on. But at the moment, the players we have, have done exceptionally well.”

Sahibzada Farhan, in particular, has impressed the coaching staff by winning three Player of the Match awards in just six T20Is, strengthening his position in the squad.

Hesson also suggested that Babar should utilize overseas leagues to fine-tune his T20 skills, specifically pointing to the upcoming Big Bash League (BBL) in Australia as a potential platform for the 30-year-old batter.

“A player like Babar has an opportunity to play in the BBL and show he’s improving in those areas in T20s. He’s too good a player not to consider,” Hesson added.

Read more: Babar Azam faces shock demotion from PCB Category A Contracts

Pakistan will open their Asia Cup 2025 Group A campaign against Oman in Dubai on September 12, followed by a high-voltage clash against India at the same venue on September 14.