In a bold reshuffle ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced a revamped squad for the upcoming three-match T20I series against Bangladesh, leaving out star players Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Mohammad Rizwan.
The home series will take place in Lahore on May 28, May 30, and June 1, following a 10-day delay to the Pakistan Super League (PSL) due to rising tensions between India and Pakistan.
Former New Zealand coach Mike Hesson will lead Pakistan for the first time as head coach, replacing Aaqib Javed. Middle-order batter Salman Ali Agha has been named captain, as the team begins preparations for the 2026 T20 World Cup set to be hosted by India and Sri Lanka.
Babar and Rizwan missed their second straight T20 series amid growing criticism over their conservative strike rates. Shaheen, who played in the T20 series against New Zealand in March, has also been rested despite taking 12 wickets in 10 PSL matches with an economy rate of 8.20.
The PCB clarified that the squad selection was driven by current form in the ongoing PSL 2025, which concludes on May 25.
Top PSL scorer Sahibzada Farhan, who amassed 394 runs, earned a recall to the national squad. Saim Ayub and Fakhar Zaman return after recovering from injuries that sidelined them during the New Zealand tour. Fast bowler Hasan Ali is also back, having recovered from injuries that kept him out since May last year.
Full Pakistan Squad for Bangladesh T20Is:
Salman Ali Agha (captain), Shadab Khan, Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hassan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Wasim, Mohammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub
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