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Pakistan’s white-ball head coach Mike Hesson has firmly dismissed rumours suggesting Babar Azam is being considered for a wicketkeeping role, clarifying that the star batter is instead vying for an opening slot in the T20I squad.
Speaking to the media at the ongoing white-ball training camp in Karachi ahead of the Bangladesh series, Hesson addressed recent social media speculation with a smile.
“Babar Azam is not seen as a wicketkeeping option. I’m not sure where that came from,” Hesson said.
“He’s competing for one of the opening positions alongside Fakhar Zaman and Saim Ayub.” Babar has been absent from the national T20I side since Pakistan’s tour of South Africa in December 2024, but remains part of the wider plans.
Addressing another circulating rumour, Hesson also rejected the notion that left-arm pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi is being phased out of T20I cricket. “Shaheen is a world-class player,” said Hesson.
“Every player has phases in form. Our job is to work with them and get them performing at their best again. He’s very much in our white-ball plans.”
Shaheen last played a T20I in March this year, and his exclusion from the squad for the Bangladesh tour had raised eyebrows.
However, he, along with Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim Jr, and Naseem Shah, is currently participating in a pre-series training camp at National Bank Stadium. The camp will run until July 15.
Pakistan’s 15-member squad for the Bangladesh T20I series includes new faces like Ahmed Daniyal and Hassan Nawaz, with Salman Ali Agha appointed as captain. The team will depart for Dhaka on July 16, with the three-match T20I series starting on July 20 at Sher-e-Bangla Stadium.
