PCB drops Shaheen, Babar and Rizwan for Bangladesh T20s
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The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) dropped Shaheen Shah Afridi, Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan on Wednesday as it named a new-look squad for three home Twenty20 internationals against Bangladesh.
Former New Zealand coach Mike Hesson will take charge for the first time after being appointed last week, replacing Aaqib Javed.
Salman Ali Agha will captain Pakistan as they look towards next year’s T20 World Cup, to be hosted by India and Sri Lanka.
Fast bowler Shaheen had played in Pakistan’s last T20 series in New Zealand in March, but batsmen Babar and Rizwan were omitted for the second consecutive T20 series after being criticised for slow scoring.
“The squad has been selected based on players’ performances in the ongoing Pakistan Super League, which concludes on May 25,” the PCB said in a statement.
Shaheen has taken 12 wickets for Lahore Qalandars in 10 PSL matches at an economy rate of 8.20. Opener Sahibzada Farhan earned a recall after topping the PSL batting charts with 394 runs.
Batsmen Saim Ayub and Fakhar Zaman return after missing the New Zealand tour with injuries. Fast bowler Hasan Ali is back after being sidelined with multiple injuries since May last year.
Pakistan squad: Salman Ali Agha (captain), Shadab Khan, Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hassan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Wasim, Mohammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub
The PCB also announced the revised schedule for the three-match T20I series against Bangladesh that was impacted by the recent conflict with India.
The series will take place at Lahore’s iconic Gaddafi Stadium from May 28 to June 1.
The action-packed series will kick off with the first T20I on May 28, followed by the second fixture on May 30. The third and final T20I is set to take place on June 1.
Bangladesh are scheduled to arrive in Lahore on 25 May, with training sessions planned for 26 and 27 May to ensure optimal preparation ahead of the series. All three matches will begin at 8pm local time.
