After failing to qualify for the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup, Pakistan will hope to make amends under skipper Shaheen Afridi in the ODI format. Pakistan made a few brave decisions in the lead-up to the order, dropping senior star Babar Azam from the squad.

Six uncapped players have been called up, including Abdul Samad, Maaz Sadaqat, Saad Masood ⁠and ‌Shamyl Hussain who played against the England Lions ‌in Abu Dhabi before the series was called off due ‌to the conflict in the Middle East. Alongside Babar, Saim Ayub and Naseem Shah were also excluded from the ODI team

Playing XIs

Pakistan XI: Sahibzada Farhan, Maaz Sadaqat, Shamyl Hussain, Mohammad Rizwan(w), Salman Agha, Hussain Talat, Abdul Samad, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi(c), Mohammad Wasim Jr, Abrar Ahmed

Bangladesh XI: Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Saif Hassan, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Litton Das(w), Mehidy Hasan Miraz(c), Towhid Hridoy, Afif Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Rishad Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, Nahid Rana

‘No one is dropped for this series’

Reacting to questions on Babar Azam’s absence from the Pakistan ODI squad vs Bangladesh, captain Shaheen Shah Afridi reiterated that no one was dropped from team but it was more of giving opportunities to young players. “Look, no one is dropped for this series. We just want to give opportunities to our youngsters,” Afridi said in the pre-match press conference on Tuesday. READ MORE