Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced the squad for the three match T20I series against Bangladesh. Speculations were rife that the PCB could bring Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan back to the T20I side after the team's poor outing in New Zealand where they suffered a 4-1 defeat.

The star duo was dropped from the squad for New Zealand tour after Pakistan's horrible form in T20Is which saw them lose series to Australia, South Africa and New Zealand following the T20 World Cup 2024 - a total of nine defeats in 11 matches.

Babar, Rizwan's T20 Career Over?

The T20 World Cup is lined up in February 2026 and the Bangladesh series will mark the beginning of the Men in Green's preparations for the mega event in India and Sri Lanka. The move to leave Babar and Rizwan out of the T20 squad is a clear indication that the PCB has moved on from the veteran players and is looking to build a team for the future.

Salman Agha To Lead

Salman Ali Agha has been retained as the captain of the Pakistan squad while Shadab Khan will serve as his deputy. Among the notable players to miss out on the squad for the Bangladesh series are - Shaheen Afridi, Usman Khan, Mohammad Abbas, Sufiyan Muqeem. Meanwhile, Saim Ayub, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Hussain Talat, Mohammad Wasim jr, Naseem Shah, and Sahibzada Farhan, made a comeback to the squad after missing the New Zealand tour. The series will be Pakistan's first assignment under coach Mike Hesson. The PCB said the squad was selected based on the players' performance in the PSL. All the three matches of the series will be played at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.Pakistan Squad: Salman Ali Agha (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hassan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris (wicket-keeper), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan (wicket-keeper) and Saim Ayub