Pakistan have dropped Babar Azam for their upcoming ODI series against Bangladesh. Babar failed to impress in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026, with Pakistan getting eliminated from the Super 8 stage of the tournament. The right-handed batter managed 91 runs in four innings at an average of 22.75. Babar hasn’t been able to contribute in the ODIs, amassing 544 runs from 17 innings at an average of 34 and a strike rate of 77.16 in 2025.
The national selectors named six uncapped players in the squad. Abdul Samad, Maaz Sadaqat, Muhammad Ghazi Ghori, Saad Masood, Sahibzada Farhan and Shamyl Hussain are part of the team. The decision-makers have decided to add new faces, following the team’s below-par performances.
Maaz Sadaqat was named the Player of the Tournament in the Rising Stars Asia Cup in 2025. He accumulated 258 runs from five innings at an average of 129 and a strike rate of 177.93. He also took seven wickets.
Shaheen Afridi will lead the side, with Mohammad Rizwan and Haris Rauf also making the cut. Sahibzada Farhan has been rewarded for his unstoppable run in the 2026 T20 World Cup, where he became the highest run-getter in a single edition of the tournament.
Farhan managed 383 runs from six innings at an average of 76.60 and a strike rate of 160.25, including two hundreds and as many fifties. He is the first player to smash two centuries in a single edition. Pakistan’s three-match ODI series against Bangladesh will start on 11 March, with all the games scheduled at the Shere Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka.
Pakistan squad for the ODI series against Bangladesh: Shaheen Shah Afridi (captain), Abdul Samad, Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Faisal Akram, Haris Rauf, Hussain Talat, Maaz Sadaqat, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Muhammad Ghazi Ghori (wk), Saad Masood, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Ali Agha and Shamyl Hussain.