'Hamaare saamne Virat Kohli hai': Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan told they must quit if respect is lost after Asia Cup snub

Former Pakistan fast bowler Tanveer Ahmed sparked a debate after the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Sunday announced the squad for the Asia Cup, saying that Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, who were snubbed for the tournament, should follow the 'Virat Kohli' path and retire from international cricket if "respect matters." Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan were not picked for Asia Cup

It was not long ago that Babar was the No. 1 T20I batter, having broken numerous records in the format, and until last year, in the T20 World Cup, even captained Pakistan, with the PCB having reinstated him in the role. Rizwan, too, was part of that squad that suffered a forgettable group-stage exit in the USA. However, both were snubbed from the two T20I series Pakistan played this year, before incurring a similar fate for the Asia Cup.

Taking to social media, Tanveer urged the two senior batters to consider quitting international cricket if they felt disrespected.

"Meri Babar Azam aur Rizwan say request hai ager ap log yeh samajhtey hain ap logon ke izzat nahi ha tou retirement ley lo international cricket say humarey samne virat kohli ke examples hain. @babarazam258, @iMRizwanPak izzat apney hath main ha (My request to Babar Azam and Rizwan is that if you feel your respect is not intact, then consider retiring from international cricket. We have examples of Virat Kohli in front of us. Babar and Rizwan, respect is in your hands)," he tweeted.

Kohli was widely speculated to have announced his shock retirement from Test cricket in May after being pressurised by the BCCI. However, board Vice-President Rajeev Shukla later clarified that it was entirely Kohli's decision. “We are feeling the absence of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. It was their decision to retire and the BCCI doesn’t tell any player to retire. It was their call," he said last month.

Following the squad announcement, Pakistan white-ball head coach Mike Hesson revealed that Babar had been asked to work on his strike rate in the format, especially against spinners, and deliver strong performances in Australia’s Big Bash League (BBL) later this year to force his way into the Pakistan T20I setup for the World Cup next year.

"There's no doubt Babar's been asked to improve in some areas around taking on spin and in terms of his strike rate. Those are things he's working really hard on," Hesson said.

"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," he added.

Tanveer also raised concerns about Pakistan's selection process for the Asia Cup, questioning whether Fakhar Zaman, who suffered a left hamstring strain during the 2nd T20I on the recent West Indies tour, was forced into the team.

"Was Fakhar Zaman forced into the team, or was he included to prevent Babar Azam from being selected? How did Fakhar Zaman get in?" he asked.

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