Pakistan announces T20I squad for Bangladesh series

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) selection committee has once again left out senior players Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, suggesting a long-term shift away from the veteran duo in T20Is.

The two batters were omitted from the 15-member squad named on Tuesday for the upcoming three-match T20I series against Bangladesh, which will be played later this month in Dhaka.

Pace spearhead Shaheen Shah Afridi has also been excluded once again, continuing a trend of his absence from recent T20 selections. The matches are scheduled to take place at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium on July 20, 22, and 24.

Naseem Shah and middle-order batter Irfan Khan have also missed out on selection this time around.

In their place, uncapped pacers Ahmed Daniyal and Salman Mirza have been handed opportunities to impress. As has become customary in recent T20I squads, Salman Ali Agha will captain the side, with no vice-captain named for this series.

Mirza earned his place on the back of a solid HBL PSL 10 season, where he picked up nine wickets in just four games while playing for Lahore Qalandars.

Meanwhile, 28-year-old Daniyal also made an impression in PSL 10, claiming six wickets in four matches for Peshawar Zalmi.

Returning to the national fold are all-rounder Mohammad Nawaz and left-arm wrist-spinner Sufiyan Muqeem.

Nawaz played four matches in the recent Pakistan Super League season for Islamabad United, scoring 88 runs and picking up two wickets.

Muqeem’s last T20I appearance came against New Zealand in Wellington on March 26, 2025.

Pakistan will also be without express pacer Haris Rauf, who is sidelined due to a hamstring injury picked up during the ongoing Major League Cricket tournament in the United States.

All-rounder Shadab Khan, who previously served as vice-captain under Agha Salman during the New Zealand and home Bangladesh series, is unavailable due to a recent shoulder operation. He is expected to be out of action for at least three months.

Fast bowler Hasan Ali, who had impressed during Pakistan’s recent home T20I series against Bangladesh, has also not been selected. He will be fulfilling his domestic cricket commitments with Warwickshire in the English county season.

Before the series begins, the squad will undergo a few days of training in Karachi before flying out to Dhaka on July 16.

The upcoming away series follows Pakistan's clean sweep of Bangladesh in a 3-0 home series at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium in May-June this year.

While announcing the squad, PCB Chief Operating Officer (COO) Sumair Ahmed said the squad for the West Indies tour will be revealed shortly.

“We are in the final stages of discussions with the West Indies Cricket Board about potentially turning the three scheduled ODIs into T20Is,” Sumair said. “Our focus is to provide as much exposure as possible to our T20 players with the next T20 World Cup on the horizon. We’ll confirm the outcome in the next couple of days.”

Sumair made the announcement alongside PCB Director of Communications and Media, Amir Mir.

Squad: Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Ahmed Daniyal, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Hassan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Haris (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Sahibzada Farhan (wk), Saim Ayub, Salman Mirza and Sufiyan Muqeem

Officials: Naveed Akram Cheema (manager), Mike Hesson (head coach), Ashley Noffke (bowling coach), Muhammad Hanif Malik (batting Coach), Shane McDermott (fielding Coach), Cliffe Deacon (physiotherapist), Grant Luden (strength and conditioning coach), Talha Ejaz (analyst), Syed Naeem Ahmad (media manager), Irtaza Komail (security manager), Dr. Wajid Ali Rafai (doctor) and Muhammad Ehsan (masseur)