Aaqib Javed Admits Discarding Babar Azam From Pakistan's Asian Games Squad

Aaqib Javed targets Babar Azam indirectly [Source: AFP]

Pakistan’s senior selector Aaqib Javed made a strong statement while addressing the concerns around Pakistan’s squad for the Asian Games 2026. In his reply, he took a sly dig at Babar Azam that left the fans confused.

For context, PCB announced a relatively young squad for the Asian Games 2026 tournament, with Sahibzada Farhan appointed as captain. The squad features many inexperienced players like Abdul Samad, Ali Raza, Maaz Sadaqat and Saad Masood.

Aaqib Javed takes a sly dig at Babar Azam

Interestingly, the squad does not include seniors like Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan and Salman Agha. This raised a question on whether the PCB are taking this tournament lightly. 

However, in response, Pakistan’s chief selector Aaqib Javed said the idea was to invest in younger players and give them international exposure early. 

Javed added that Pakistan should not take any decisions out of fear, and the young squad sends out a message that the PCB has the guts to take bold steps and not rely on only specific players.

"We selected a young squad for the Asian Games. You must have the courage to make decisions & young players should be given opportunities. We should not make decisions out of fear. In the future, people will remember whether we tried to bring about improvement or became part of a group that only gave opportunities to specific players." Javed told Saleem Khaliq.

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By specific players, Aaqib Javed likely meant Babar Azam. The selector has been at loggerheads with the senior batter since he joined the administration. Babar was previously dropped multiple times, as Javed believes Pakistan must look beyond him.

When Aaqib Javed triggered controversy with Babar Azam

Earlier this year, Babar Azam was dropped from Pakistan’s ODI squad for the Bangladesh series, citing injury. However, the explanation created confusion, as the veteran had played in the T20 World Cup 2026 without any signs of fitness concerns.

Then PCB Director of High Performance Aaqib Javed said Babar was not selected because of a foot injury and that the same problem was keeping him away from the National T20 Cup as well.

Later, Babar Azam hit back when he uploaded an edited image of himself with twisted legs, thus mocking Javed for his false claims.  But again, journalists confirmed that Babar was injured and Aaqib Javed was right in his assessment.

Asian Games 2026 to be held in September

Having said that, the Asian Games 2026 will begin on September 24 in Japan this year. All games will be held in the T20 format, with the medal matches taking place on October 3.

A total of 12 teams have qualified for the event, namely India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, Nepal, Oman, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

The full schedule of fixtures is yet to be released, but the tournament is expected to be an entertaining one.

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