Kamran Akmal Suggests Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan Focus on Longer Formats

Former Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Kamran Akmal has endorsed the decision to drop prominent batsmen Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan from the national T20I team, asserting that their skills are more appropriate for the extended versions of the game.

In a recent podcast appearance, Akmal commented on reports indicating that Babar and Rizwan are being permanently removed from T20 Internationals.

“That’s the correct call,” Akmal stated.

“I think this is the right move because these players are better suited for the longer format. In my view, they should now be reserved solely for Test matches. Perhaps after another half-year, they should only be considered for Test cricket, both Babar and Rizwan,” he elaborated.

The former wicketkeeper batter further questioned the pair’s ongoing presence in One Day Internationals.

“In another six months, they should be excluded from ODIs as well, given that Pakistan rarely engages in Test matches these days. Test cricket is hardly discussed. However, genuine players are developed through Test cricket,” he noted.

The 43-year-old underscored the fundamental importance of red-ball cricket, maintaining that excellence in Tests improves performance across all formats.

“You can’t simply play T20 and expect to excel in Test cricket. If someone is proficient in Test matches, they can manage ODIs and T20s effectively,” he added.

Notably, Babar Azam, who captained Pakistan in three successive ICC Men’s T20 World Cups (2021, 2022, and 2024), last played a T20I in December 2023.

Since then, he has been out of favor, missing the home series against New Zealand in March and the current three-match T20I series against Bangladesh, which began on May 28 in Lahore.

Babar, who has faced scrutiny for a poor run in T20Is, has not recorded a half-century since his 75-run innings against Ireland in May 2023.

He has participated in 128 T20Is for Pakistan, amassing 4,223 runs at an average of 39.83, including three centuries and 36 half-centuries.

Earlier this year, both Babar and Rizwan were left out of the five-match T20I series in New Zealand as selectors chose to assess younger talent. The pair has not been reinstated in the T20I squad since then.

In another key development, Mohammad Rizwan was recently relieved of the T20I captaincy after leading in only two series. Salman Ali Agha has been appointed as the new captain.