Pakistan have named a 17-member squad for the upcoming Asia Cup. They will be led by Babar Azam, while Shadab Khan has been named his deputy.

Three decisions by the selectors have led to discussions. They left out incumbent vice-captain Shan Masood; recalled Faheem Ashraf after two years; and have included 30-year-old Tayyab Tahir, who has played three T20Is but not ODIs.

Who is Tayyab Tahir?

Started with a bang

Born in Gujrat, a city in the Punjab Province of Pakistan, Tahir is a right-hand middle-order batter.

He debuted in List A cricket in 2015, for Lahore Eagles in the President’s Silver Cup One Day. Chasing a revised target of 182 in 23 overs, he blasted a quickfire 52 off 27 balls, comprising eight fours and two sixes.

Later that year, on first-class debut – for Lahore Blues in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy – he made 87, hitting 12 boundaries. He currently plays first-class cricket for Central Punjab.

Tahir made 184 runs at 46 in his debut List A season, 2014/15, but failed to replicate that performance until 2018/19. Then, in 2020/21, he struck 666 runs at an average of 60.54 with six fifties and a ton, and has averaged 44.29 in the format since.

He hit a match-winning 71 in the final of the 2022/23 Pakistan One Day Cup for Central Punjab to emerge as the competition’s highest run-scorer with 573 runs at an average of 47.75 and a strike rate of 99.65. He hit five fifties and a hundred that season.

Nottinghamshire assistant coach Paul Franks, who served as the head coach of the triumphant Punjab side during the Pakistan domestic season, liked what he saw from Tahir.

“He’s very much a games player. He’s not necessarily a classic technician,” Franks told Wisden.com. “He had a great season for us in the four-day stuff and has gone on and on and on and has scored runs all summer, all season. It’ll be interesting to see whether he can add something different into that middle order and give Pakistan some real firepower towards the end of the innings.

“He batted in the top order for us, he batted in the middle order for us, so he’s got a lot of flexibility in his game. And he’s another really good athlete who can field well, so if that’s what they’re looking for. He’s certainly a player to keep an eye on.”

Player of the Match in ACC Men’s Emerging Cup final

Tahir shot to fame when he mauled the Indian bowling line-up in the recently concluded 2023 ACC Men’s Emerging Cup final in Colombo. En route to help Pakistan pile 352-8, he notched up a 71-ball 108 with 12 fours and four sixes. He finished as Pakistan’s leading run-scorer, racking up 190 runs at an average of 47.50 and a strike rate of 110 – the best among the top-five run-getters in the tournament.

The feat did not go unnoticed: he has been rewarded with a 2023 Asia Cup spot. After a reasonable season for Karachi Kings in the Pakistan Super League (137 runs, strike rate 144), he played three T20Is, all against Afghanistan earlier this year. He made 16, 13, and 10.

Whether his ODI career gets off to a better start – or indeed any start at all – remains to be seen.