No Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi to Lead! Pakistan Announces Squad for Bangladesh Tour 2026

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced a 15-member squad for their upcoming ODI series against Bangladesh, but shockingly, Pakistan’s star batter Babar Azam dropped from ODI squad. PCB made several changes to Pakistan’s ODI squad after a disappointing performance in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, as they failed to qualify for the semi-finals.

Pakistan and Bangladesh will be playing the three-match ODI series, which is scheduled to begin on March 11, 2026, in Dhaka. The series between Pakistan and Bangladesh is just a start for the preparation of the 2027 ODI World Cup. Pakistan is now focusing on rebuilding the squad; therefore, they added multiple new faces to reset their white-ball cricket.

Shaheen Shah Afridi Continues as Captain

Pakistan’s fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi will continue to lead the ODI side despite the criticism after the team’s poor performance in the T20 World Cup 2026. But PCB has shown confidence in Shaheen’s leadership, and he is likely to lead the team in the tournament as well.

Shaheen Afridi’s role will be very crucial in Pakistan’s ODI squad, both as captain and bowler. Pakistan’s face department didn’t perform well in the 2026 T20 World Cup, including Shaheen Shah Afridi; therefore, they will be looking to come up with new pairs and better strategies for the ODI series against Bangladesh.

Why Was Babar Azam Dropped?

The Former Pakistan captain Babar Azam has been under pressure due to inconsistent performance for the past few years. In 2025, Babar played 17 ODIs and was able to score only 544 runs at a strike rate of 77.16. This shows his performance has been below expectations, especially being the key batter of the team.

By dropping Babar, the selectors gave a strong message to the other star players that no player is guaranteed a spot based on reputation only. If all the players consistently play good cricket, they will be dropped, and new players will get a chance to represent the nation.

Who Else Dropped from the squad?

Along with Babar Azam, Pakistan have also dropped Fakhar Zaman, Saim Ayub and Naseem Shah. All these players used to be the regular players in Pakistan's ODI squad, but now, due to inconsistent performance, the PCB has taken a bold step. However, Fakhar Zaman played quite decent cricket in recent times, but he failed to give consistent performances.

Pakistan Squad for Bangladesh Tour 2026

Shaheen Shah Afridi (Captain), Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Ali Agha, Shamyl HussainAbdul Samad, Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Faisal Akram, Haris Rauf, Hussain Talat, Maaz Sadaqat, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Muhammad Ghazi Ghori, Saad Masood.

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