Frontline players ignored again as Pakistan name squad for BD T20s
LAHORE: The Pakistan selectors on Tuesday announced a 15-member squad for the upcoming three-match T20 International series against Bangladesh, with five frontline players including former captains Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan and Shaheen Shah Afridi omitted for a second series in a row, while two uncapped pacers were called up.
Vice-captain Shadab Khan and fast bowler Haris Rauf were also ruled out due to fitness issues. Shadab is recovering from shoulder surgery in England, while Haris sustained a hamstring injury during a T20 league match in the United States last week.
Babar, Rizwan, and Shaheen were left out again as the selectors continue to experiment with new faces ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup, scheduled for February-March next year in India and Sri Lanka.
While Babar and Rizwan have faced criticism for their strike rates in the format, Shaheen’s recent dip in form has also been a factor despite the pacer topping the bowling charts of the Pakistan Super League earlier this year. Both Rizwan and Babar last featured in the T20I squad during the South Africa tour last year, whereas Shaheen played on the New Zealand tour after that.
Fast bowlers Ahmed Daniyal, 28, and Salman Mirza, 31, have been rewarded for their strong performances in the PSL and are set to make their T20I debuts.
The squad also sees the return of all-rounder Mohammad Nawaz, who last played a T20I in January 2024, and left-arm spinner Sufyan Muqeem. Middle-order batter Hussain Talat, who was also picked in last month’s home series against Bangladesh, continues to stay in the national squad having played his last T20I in 2021. However, his selection has raised some eyebrows given a modest record of 394 runs and four wickets in 18 T20Is.
The squad will be led by Salman Ali Agha, who continues as captain, while no vice-captain has been named in the absence of Shadab.
In an unusual development, the squad was announced by Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) Chief Operating Officer Sumair Ahmad Sayed and Media Director Amir Mir — instead of any member of the four-person selection committee.
Although committee member Aaqib Javed was present at the National Cricket Academy adjacent to the Gaddafi Stadium, and both Azhar Ali and Aleem Dar reside in Lahore, none of the selectors attended the press conference.
The announcement came abruptly following a previously scheduled presser by the PCB’s domestic cricket department, catching the media off guard. It marked the first time that a national squad was unveiled by PCB’s administrative and media personnel rather than the selectors themselves.
The national team will assemble in Karachi for a training camp starting Wednesday ahead of the Bangladesh tour. The T20I matches are scheduled to be held on July 20, 22 and 24 at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka.
The squad for the white-ball series against the West Indies, scheduled after the Bangladesh tour, will be announced later.
Squad: Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Ahmed Daniyal, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Hassan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Haris (wicket-keeper), Mohammad Nawaz, Sahibzada Farhan (wicket-keeper), Saim Ayub, Salman Mirza, Sufyan Muqeem
Published in Dawn, July 9th, 2025
