Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi has clarified that he had no role in the decision to leave out star players Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan from Pakistan’s squad for the upcoming ACC Men’s Asia Cup 2025.

“Let me make it clear, I don’t even have a 1% role in selecting or dropping any player.

The selection process is handled by the committee and advisory panel, who hold extensive discussions before finalising the team,” Naqvi told reporters in Lahore.

Babar and Rizwan, who have featured in every major ICC event for Pakistan since the T20 World Cup 2021 in the UAE, have been sidelined in the shortest format since the three-match series against South Africa last December.

As Pakistan prepares for the Asia Cup, the selectors opted for a youthful squad with an eye on building a strong side for next year’s T20 World Cup a decision that has sparked criticism from fans and divided opinions among experts.

Presiding over the PCB’s 80th Board of Governors (BoG) meeting earlier in the day, Naqvi stressed that team selection is strictly merit-based and made independently by the selection committee and advisors, reiterating that he had no involvement in the matter.

“Definitely, if they are selecting a team, so I have full faith in them. They are professional, and I instructed them to make the decisions on merit.

“Rest, whatever the lot was available, we polished them and carried forward, and by the will of Almighty Allah, our strive would be to further explore young talent so that the competition grows.”

When asked about wicketkeeper batter Mohammad Rizwan’s future as Pakistan’s ODI captain, Naqvi said: “Selectors will make a decision. Head coach has submitted his report after our last contested ODI.”

“We are going through it, and after mutual consultation, whatever is decided will be conveyed,” he added.

Rizwan, who was appointed Pakistan’s white-ball captain in October 2024, succeeding star batter Babar Azam, had a dream start to his tenure as the national team won three consecutive bilateral series, including historic triumphs away against Australia and South Africa.

The national team’s performance under Rizwan’s captaincy, however, deteriorated significantly as they lost the tri-nation series against South Africa and New Zealand before suffering a group-stage exit from the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025 in home conditions.