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KARACHI: Pakistan T20I captain Salman Ali Agha opened up on the inclusion of the experience trio — Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, and Shaheen Afridi’s in the shorter format ahead of a packed international calendar.
The trio is currently not part of the Pakistan T20I tour of Bangladesh; however, they are training alongside the national squad in a week-long camp.
Babar and Rizwan were axed from the Pakistan team’s T20I plans after the away series against South Africa in December last year. Meanwhile, Shaheen was part of the five-match away series against New Zealand in March 2025.
Speaking to the media, Salman Agha emphasized the importance of building a strong bench strength ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026.
“We must have players ready to step up at the right time. We’ve identified a pool of 25 players from which the World Cup squad will be selected,” he said.
He underlined the significance of senior players, noting that their inclusion adds depth to the squad.
“Babar, Rizwan, and others are key assets for us. Their presence adds balance and experience,” he told reporters.
Salman Agha hailed fast bowler Shaheen Afridi, deeming him crucial for Green Shirts in the upcoming fixtures.
“Shaheen is a world-class bowler. We’ll continue to see him playing a big role for Pakistan white-ball cricket in the future.”
For the unversed, Pakistan’s tour of Bangladesh will be the first assignment under the new head coach, Mike Hesson. The opening match is scheduled for July 20, followed by the second T20I on July 22 and the third on July 24.
After wrapping up the Bangladesh tour, the Green Shirts will travel to the United States of America (USA) to face the West Indies in a three-match T20I series in Florida, set to take place from August 1 to 4.
Both sides will then head to Trinidad and Tobago for a three-match ODI series scheduled between August 8 and 12.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is expected to announce the final T20I and ODI squads for both assignments in the coming days.
Pakistan squad for Bangladesh series:
Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Ahmed Daniyal, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Hassan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Haris (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Sahibzada Farhan (wk), Saim Ayub, Salman Mirza, and Sufyan Moqim
Pakistan-Bangladesh T20I Series Schedule
20 July – First T20I at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, Dhaka (6pm local time)
22 July – Second T20I at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, Dhaka (6pm local time)
24 July – Third T20I at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, Dhaka (6pm local time)
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