'My request to Babar Azam and Rizwan is that if you feel your respect is not intact, then consider retiring from international cricket.'
Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan's snub from the Asia Cup squad has drawn a fiery response from former Pakistan fast bowler Tanveer Ahmed, who advised them to quit international cricket.
Not long ago, Babar was the world's No. 1 T20I batter, shattering records and leading Pakistan in the T20 World Cup.
Rizwan, too, was a key part of that campaign, though the team suffered a dismal group-stage exit in the USA. Yet this year, both players have been snubbed from successive T20I series, culminating in their omission from the Asia Cup team.
Taking to social media, Tanveer called on the duo to take a bold step.
'Meri Babar Azam aur Rizwan se request hai agar aap log yeh samajhtey hain aap logon ke izzat nahi ha toh retirement le lo international cricket se hamare samne Virat Kohli ke examples hain. @babarazam258, @iMRizwanPak izzat apne haath main hain,' Tanveer tweeted.
(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 the examples of Virat Kohli in front of us. Babar and Rizwan, respect is in your hands.)
Meanwhile, Pakistan's white-ball Head Coach Mike Hesson provided insight into Babar's exclusion, stressing that the 29 year old needs to sharpen his T20 game.
'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 (Big Bash League) and show he's improving in those areas in T20s. He's too good a player not to consider,' he added.
Tanveer didn't stop at Babar and Rizwan. He also raised pointed questions about Pakistan's selection strategy, particularly the inclusion of Fakhar Zaman, who had suffered a hamstring injury during the West Indies tour.
'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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