Pakistan’s Faqar Zaman plays a shot during the ICC Men’s World Cup match against Bangladesh at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on October 31, 2023. — X/@TheRealPCB

LAHORE: Pakistan’s tour of Bangladesh for the three-match ODI series faces an uncertain future due to ongoing regional tensions, while significant changes are expected in their squad for the upcoming assignment, sources told Geo Super on Sunday.

The Green Shirts are scheduled to reach Bangladesh on March 9 for the ODI series, with the three matches scheduled to be played at the Sher Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka on March 11, 13 and 15 respectively.

However, ongoing regional tensions have made the tour uncertain, according to insiders, and will only continue if the current situation does not increase travel risks or security concerns.

Meanwhile, as the former champions shift their focus towards the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2027, which will be co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia, discussions are expected to begin this week on the Green Shirts squad for the upcoming assignment.

According to sources, the selection committee is expected to make significant changes in the composition of the team, with first-choice players such as Babar Azam, Saim Ayub and Mohammad Nawaz underperforming, and youngsters given a boost.

As the Green Shirts have no immediate T20I assignment, no quick action is expected regarding the short-form squad, but sources added that five to six players will be phased out of the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.

For the uninitiated, Pakistan last competed in ODIs in November last year when they hosted Sri Lanka for a three-match series and swept it clean.

This marked Shaheen Shah Afridi’s second series as captain in the long format, his first being the three-match home series against South Africa, which the Green Shirts won 2–1.

Sohail Imran

Sohail Imran is a Senior Correspondent at Geo News.

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