The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Wednesday unveiled a 16-member men’s squad for the upcoming three-match T20 International series against Bangladesh, which will be played at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium. The full schedule for the series is yet to be announced.
Salman Ali Agha will lead the side, with Shadab Khan appointed as vice-captain. The squad selection has been finalized based on individual player performances in the ongoing Pakistan Super League X, which is set to conclude on May 25.
This series will also mark the first under the leadership of the newly appointed head coach, Mike Hesson.
The squad sees the return of experienced players, including Hasan Ali, Fakhar Zaman, and Saim Ayub. All-rounders Faheem Ashraf and Hussain Talat, along with wicketkeeper-batter Sahibzada Farhan, have also been recalled to the national setup.
Fast bowlers Mohammad Wasim Jnr and Naseem Shah have successfully earned their places back in the national squad.
However, several prominent names have been excluded from the selection. Fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi, who was part of the T20I squad during the recent New Zealand tour, has been left out. Also notably absent from the lineup are former captain Babar Azam and senior wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan, both of whom have once again been overlooked by the selectors.
Furthermore, Abbas Afridi, Abdul Samad, Jahandad Khan, Mohammad Ali, Umair bin Yousuf, Sufyan Muqeem, and Usman Khan have also been dropped from the squad announced today.
Squad: Salman Ali Agha (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hassan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Irfan Khan Niazi, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan (wicketkeeper), and Saim Ayub.
