Mirpur: Pakistan captain Shaheen Shah Afridi on Tuesday clarified that no player has been dropped from the squad for the three-match ODI series against Bangladesh.
Following the heartbeat of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, the Green Shirts tour Bangladesh for the ODI series, with all three matches scheduled to be played at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur on March 11, 13 and 15 respectively.
Despite their 3-0 drubbing against Sri Lanka in November last year, the Green Shirts made significant changes to their squad with star batsmen Babar Azam, Faqar Zaman, Haseebullah, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah and Saim Ayub.
They were replaced by 6 players namely Abdul Samad, Mas Sadaqat, Muhammad Ghazi Ghori, Saad Masood, Sahibzada Farhan and Shamil Hussain.
The exclusion of established players, despite their recent performances in the format, has prompted former cricketers and fans to question the selection criteria, with some suspecting it was the result of a ‘form mix’.
Meanwhile, Pakistan captain Shaheen, during a pre-series press conference, put the speculations to rest by clarifying that no one has been dropped from the series, instead giving the youngsters a chance to showcase their potential as the former champions begin preparations for the 2027 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup.
“Look, nobody is giving up for this series; we want to give a chance to our youngsters, they are our future. So, we want to give a chance against Bangladesh, I think when the time comes, and they also know their role in the World Cup and what’s coming in the future,” Shaheen told reporters.
“We have to prepare our team for the World Cup and it’s an opportunity for the youngsters to go and showcase their skills,” he added.
Shaheen further acknowledged Bangladesh as a “good side” citing their recent win over the West Indies, but insisted that his team had played equally good cricket in their previous two assignments against South Africa and Sri Lanka.
“Obviously, any team in home conditions, they are the best team, (…) Bangladesh had a good side and they played very good cricket in their home conditions and they beat the West Indies,” Shaheen said.
“So, I think as a team we are preparing, we played in the last two ODIs against South Africa in Sri Lanka, so we played very well, so we continue to do that.”
comments