Pakistan national cricket team have dropped former captain Babar Azam from the upcoming three-match ODI series against Bangladesh national cricket team following the team’s disappointing campaign in the T20 World Cup 2026. The series is scheduled to begin on March 11 in Dhaka.
Babar, one of Pakistan’s leading batters in recent years, played 17 ODIs in 2025 and scored 544 runs at a strike rate of 77.16. He also registered a century in Pakistan’s last ODI series against Sri Lanka. However, the selectors decided to leave him out of the squad due to his recent dip in form.
The decision comes after Pakistan’s early exit from the T20 World Cup, which sparked widespread criticism from former players and cricket experts. Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi was among those who urged the selectors to move on from Babar for a period, suggesting he should be kept out of the national team setup for at least two years.
Babar is not the only high-profile omission. Opening batter Fakhar Zaman has also been dropped despite scoring a half-century in the last ODI and delivering a decent performance during the ICC tournament. The move indicates that Pakistan are planning a fresh start in white-ball cricket.
Young opener Saim Ayub and fast bowler Naseem Shah have also been left out of the squad. Ayub struggled for consistency with the bat during the World Cup and was eventually dropped from Pakistan’s crucial match against New Zealand.
In Ayub’s place, Sahibzada Farhan has been called up after an impressive T20 World Cup campaign. Farhan scored two centuries during the tournament and surpassed Virat Kohli’s record for the most runs by a batter in a single edition of the T20 World Cup.
Despite criticism following the World Cup exit, Shaheen Shah Afridi will continue as Pakistan’s captain for the ODI series. Wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan also returns to the side after missing the T20 World Cup squad.
Pakistan have also included several new faces as they look to test their bench strength ahead of future international assignments. The squad features six uncapped players.
Pakistan squad for Bangladesh ODIs: Shaheen Shah Afridi (captain), Abdul Samad, Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Faisal Akram, Haris Rauf, Hussain Talat, Maaz Sadaqat, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Mohammad Wasim Jr, Muhammad Ghazi Ghori (wk), Saad Masood, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Ali Agha and Shamyl Hussain.