Former Pakistan women’s captain Sana Mir didn’t hold back after Pakistan’s T20I series loss to Bangladesh, calling out the selectors for dropping senior players Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan at a critical time.
Speaking after Pakistan’s shock eight-run defeat in the second T20I—which sealed a historic series win for Bangladesh—Mir questioned the decision to rest or sideline two of the country’s most experienced batters. “It’s like we’re forcing the team to prove that the replacements are automatically better,” she said during a post-match discussion on A Sports.
Mir argued that the timing of their exclusion was all wrong.
“You can’t just bench players like Babar and Rizwan after one or two series. These are the same players you built your T20 structure around. If you’re taking them out now, it sends a confusing message to the team and the fans,” she added.
Pakistan’s top-order once again failed to fire, with debutants and younger players crumbling under pressure. Chasing a modest target, the team collapsed early and couldn’t recover despite a late effort from Faheem Ashraf.
“This isn’t about protecting Babar or Rizwan,” Mir clarified. “It’s about consistency. If you gave them space to grow a few years ago, then you owe them that same patience now. You can’t hit the panic button every time we lose a match.”
The loss marked Pakistan’s first-ever T20I series defeat to Bangladesh—a result that’s triggered a fresh wave of criticism over the team’s strategic direction. Analysts and former cricketers have echoed Mir’s concerns, suggesting the changes may have disrupted team chemistry right before the all-important ICC T20 World Cup preparation window.
So far, neither Babar Azam nor Mohammad Rizwan has publicly commented on the decision, though sources close to the team indicate both were “surprised” to be left out for the series.
As Pakistan reels from the unexpected defeat, questions about leadership, planning, and selection policy are growing louder. Whether this shake-up will lead to long-term gains or further setbacks remains to be seen.
