Babar Azam out as Pakistan name ODI squad for Bangladesh series

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board has made a bold statement ahead of the Bangladesh tour, leaving out former captain Babar Azam from the 15-member ODI squad for the upcoming three-match series.

The series, scheduled from March 11 to 15, will see all matches played at the Shere Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka.

Alongside Babar, young opener Saim Ayub has also been excluded following underwhelming returns in recent white-ball outings.

Saim featured in eight ODIs in 2025, accumulating 236 runs at an average of 29.50, including two half-centuries.

Babar, meanwhile, scored 544 runs in 17 ODIs this year at an average of 34.00, registering one century and three fifties.

Veteran opener Fakhar Zaman, meanwhile, has been ruled out due to a hamstring injury and is currently undergoing rehabilitation.

Left-arm pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi will continue to lead the ODI side, with six uncapped players included in the squad.

The newcomers include Abdul Samad, Maaz Sadaqat, Muhammad Ghazi Ghori, Saad Masood, Sahibzada Farhan and Shamyl Hussain.

Notably, Abdul Samad, Maaz Sadaqat, Saad Masood and Shamyl Hussain were recently part of the Pakistan Shaheens squad that faced England Lions in Abu Dhabi.

Pakistan squad for Bangladesh ODIs

Shaheen Shah Afridi (c), 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

Series schedule:

March 8 – Pakistan arrival

March 10 – Practice

March 11 – First ODI at Shere Bangla National Cricket Stadium, Dhaka

March 13 – Second ODI at Shere Bangla National Cricket Stadium, Dhaka

March 15 – Third ODI at Shere Bangla National Cricket Stadium, Dhaka

READ: Sarfaraz Ahmed set to be appointed as Pakistan Test head coach: sources