&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Pakistan drop Babar Azam, pick six newcomers for Bangladesh ODIs; Shaheen to lead")
Pakistan Cricket’s poster boy, Babar Azam, has faced the axe for his mediocre showing at the T20 World Cup, as the PCB selectors dropped him for the forthcoming ODI series against Bangladesh, picking as many as six newcomers for the bilateral series instead. Among those picked is opener Sahibzada Farhan, who earned an ODI call-up following his record-breaking stint at the ongoing 20-team tournament, where Pakistan exited after the Super 8 stage. While ace seamer Shaheen Shah Afridi continues to lead the side, there are no signs of his bowling partner, Naseem Shah.
Seamer Haris Rauf, who, despite picking the most wickets in the BBL 15 and failing to make the T20 WC squad, has also returned to the 15-man squad, with gloveman Mohammad Rizwan, who also suffered the same fate, retained his place in the 50-over scheme of things.
Among the new faces are Abdul Samad, Maaz Sadaqat, Muhammad Ghazi Ghori, Saad Masood, and Shamyl Hussain, all of whom were part of the series between Pakistan Shaheens and England Lions in the UAE.
Tough time for Babar
Babar was never in form, even in the lead-up to the T20 World Cup 2026. Representing Sydney Sixers in his maiden BBL stint this time, Babar scored a mere 202 runs in 11 outings at just 22.44. While he opened for his new franchise team, Babar played at number four during the T20 WC, scoring 91 runs in four innings, including 46 against the USA.
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His struggles with pacing his innings or perhaps a new batting position contributed to his batting slump, eventually leading to his exit from the white-ball setup. However, his former T20I batting partner, Rizwan, now has a chance to push his case across formats during the three-match ODIs against Bangladesh.
The Sher-e-Bangla stadium in Dhaka will host the three ODIs on March 11, 13 and 15.
Pakistan’s 15-man ODI squad for Bangladesh series –
Shaheen Shah Afridi (captain), Abdul Samad, Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Faisal Akram, Haris Rauf, Hussain Talat, Maaz Sadaqat, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Muhammad Ghazi Ghori (wk), Saad Masood, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Ali Agha and Shamyl Hussain
