Pakistan Squad - (Source: X.com)
On Wednesday, March 4, the PCB named Pakistan’s 15-member ODI squad for the upcoming Bangladesh tour starting from March 11. The upcoming 3-match series is Men in Green’s first assignment since their T20 World Cup 2026 exit. The Mohsin Naqvi-led board made massive changes to their ODI set-up, the biggest being Babar Azam’s exclusion.
For the unversed, the PCB dropped the likes of Babar Azam, Saim Ayub, Naseem Shah and a few other big names as well. Instead, Pakistan’s apex cricket board focused on Under-19 talents. The squad drew mixed reactions from the fans as they were unhappy with Babar Azam’s exclusion. Therefore, this article will shed light on major talking points from Pakistan’s ODI squad for the Bangladesh series.
Pakistan’s Squad For Bangladesh ODIs
Firstly, let's look at Pakistan’s ODI squad for the Bangladesh series
Shaheen Afridi (c), Abdul Samad, Abrar Ahmed, F Ashraf, Faisal Akram, Haris Rauf, H Talat, M Sadaqat, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), M Wasim, Ghazi Ghori (wk), Saad Masood, S Farhan, Salman Ali Agha and Shamyl Hussain
Major Inclusions: Abdul Samad, Shamyl Hussain, Moaz Sadaqat, Sahibzada Farhan, Ghazi Ghori, Saad masood
Major Exclusions: Babar azam, Fakhar Zaman, Haseebullah, Hasan Nawaz, Mohammad Nawaz, Saim Ayub, Naseem Shah
Major Talking Points From Pakistan’s Squad
T20 World Cup 2026 Under-performers Dropped
PCB came down heavy on Pakistan players who underperformed at the T20 World Cup 2026. Notably, Saim Ayub did well with the ball, but was underwhelming with the bat. The southpaw scored just 70 runs in 5 innings, averaging just 14 with the bat.
Similarly, Mohammad Nawaz has just 15 runs with the bat and seven wickets to his name. In the bowling section, Naseem Shah featured in a solitary game against Sri Lanka where he gave away 1/36 in his four overs.
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Babar Azam Dropped Despite Stellar Sri Lanka Series
Babar had a disappointing World Cup campaign and only amassed 91 runs in four innings. However, one fact that the PCB ignored while picking up the squad for the Bangladesh tour was that Azam was Pakistan’s leading run-getter in their last ODI series against Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka toured Pakistan in November 2025, where Babar Azam scored 165 runs in three innings, which also featured a century for the right-handed batter after two years.
Interestingly, he scored just 224 runs in 2024 and raised his bar to 544 runs in 2025. Despite the improvement, the PCB decided to leave their most-successful active ODI batter out of the fifty-over set-up.
Fakhar Zaman Ruled Out With Injury
Fakhar Zaman had a great T20 World Cup 2026 where he scored 109 runs in two innings. However, he will miss the upcoming ODI series against Bangladesh because of hamstring injury.
Fakhar is currently undergoing rehabilitation in Pakistan and will not recover in time for the Bangladesh series.
6 Uncapped Players Including Sahibzada Farhan Make Into The Squad
For the unversed, PCB have put their trust on youngsters over the veterans for the upcoming Bangladesh series. They have included six uncapped stars.
Abdul Samad, Maaz Sadaqat, Ghazi Ghori, Saad Masood, Sahibzada Farhan and Shamyl Hussain have earned their maiden ODI call-up from the PCB. Notably, the list also features Sahibzada Farhan, who has been rewarded for his T20 World Cup performance.
Notably, the 29-year-old is current edition's leading run-getter with 383 runs in seven innings. He is all set to make his ODI debut.
Performing Youngster Ignored By PCB
For the unversed, Mehran Mumtaz and Arafat Minhas have total of 68 list A matches but they were ignored by the PCB. Instead, Ghazi Ghori made it to the squad, who has just an average of 45. Also, Saad Masood who has played only 3 List A games was preferred over them.
Talking about average, Haseebullah Khan's exclusion has also come as a shock for Pakistani fans because he averaged 45+ in list A cricket.
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