WITH one World Cup campaign ending in despair, Pakistan began to plan for the start of the cycle of another by leaving behind some of their top players. A new-look One-day International side was headlined by the absence of star batter Babar Azam and top all-rounder Saim Ayub following their underwhelming performances at the Twenty20 World Cup, while as many as six uncapped players have been called up for the series against Bangladesh this month. Among them is Sahibzada Farhan, coming off a sparkling T20 World Cup, where he is in with a chance of finishing as the highest scorer in a single tournament edition, despite Pakistan’s ouster in the Super Eights stage.

The three-match series in Dhaka is the beginning of Pakistan’s build-up to the ODI World Cup next year and it is a good sign that they are experimenting with the side even if some players, including Sahibzada, will have to shake off their T20 reputations in the longer format. Among them is batter Abdul Samad, who is a hard-hitting T20 player. All-rounder Maaz Sadaqat is similarly explosive with the bat. Another youngster is Saad Masood, who played for Islamabad United in the Pakistan Super League. Fellow United cricketers Ghazi Ghori and Shamyl Hussain cap off the remaining five uncapped players in the squad; they all faced England Lions as part of the Pakistan Shaheens in Abu Dhabi recently. Their inclusions show that Pakistan want to expand their talent pool, having relied for long on the usual names going in and out of the squad. The new faces must be given a fair chance to prove their mettle. Declining standards demand a fresh approach for Pakistan. Shaheen Shah Afridi might have led Pakistan to series wins over South Africa and Sri Lanka after taking over as captain but with a year to go before the World Cup, one hopes that the inclusion of young blood will help Pakistan get their act together.

Published in Dawn, March 6th, 2026