After Pakistan were knocked out of the T20 World Cup, multiple former cricketers and pundits called for his removal, with Shahid Afridi even asking the selectors to keep him out of the equation for at least two years.
Meanwhile, it’s not just Babar, Pakistan have made several changes to the squad. They have also dropped Fakhar Zaman from the squad, who scored a half-century in the last ODI and had a decent campaign in the ICC event. Despite so, the team management axed him, indicating a fresh start in white-ball cricket.
Saim Ayub, Naseem Shah dropped too
Among other major absentees, the list includes Saim Ayub and Naseem Shah. Like Babar, Saim failed to establish his authority with the bat, leading to the team dropping him from the crucial World Cup fixture against New Zealand. In his absence, Sahibzada Farhan has been called up, who had a stunning tournament, hitting two centuries, breaking Virat Kohli’s record for most runs by a batter in a single edition of the T20 World Cup.
In the meantime, Shaheen Shah Afridi will continue to lead the team, despite calls for his removal after the World Cup. However, to maintain some stability, he has been handed another opportunity and so is Mohammad Rizwan, who wasn’t a part of the World Cup squad. To note, Pakistan will certainly test their bench strength against Bangladesh, having called up six uncapped cricketers.
Pakistan’s 15-member 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 Jnr, Muhammad Ghazi Ghori (wk), Saad Masood, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Ali Agha and Shamyl Hussain
