Pakistan vs Ban T20 Squad: Third T20I Series Without Babar and Rizwan Signals New Era Ahead of 2026 World Cup

By Shah Faisal

Pakistan has announced a 15-man squad for the upcoming three-match T20I series against Bangladesh, scheduled from July 20 to 24 at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka. The team will be led by Salman Ali Agha once again, as Shadab Khan continues to recover from recent shoulder surgery and Haris Rauf remains sidelined with a hamstring injury suffered during his stint with the San Francisco Unicorns in Major League Cricket.

The squad features: 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 Sufiyan Muqeem.

This is Pakistan’s third straight T20I series without Babar, Rizwan, or Shaheen Shah Afridi, the trio that once formed the spine of the national white-ball side. Their continued absence, especially in the lead-up to a T20 World Cup, signals a significant shift in Pakistan's strategy — from reliance on senior players to exploring youth-driven depth. With Rizwan and Babar not being rested but overlooked entirely, and Shaheen being preserved possibly for ODIs, it’s clear Pakistan is entering what increasingly looks like a post-Babar-Rizwan phase in T20 cricket.

The current squad has been selected with the 2026 T20 World Cup firmly in mind. Under new white-ball coach Mike Hesson, Pakistan’s selectors appear intent on building a dynamic pool of younger players, banking on domestic performances — especially from the Pakistan Super League — to identify future stars.

Newcomers and Fresh Faces: A Youth Blueprint in Motion

Pakistan’s idea of injecting young talent into the T20 setup is no longer just a theory. It’s becoming a visible policy. The squad includes several fresh faces and relatively untested names at the international level, underscoring this shift. Ahmed Daniyal and left-arm pacer Salman Mirza are uncapped, while Sufiyan Muqeem, the left-arm wrist spinner, has just 10 T20Is to his name. Hasan Nawaz, who broke into the side earlier this year, has only played eight T20Is, but was a standout performer in PSL 2025, finishing as the third-highest run-scorer with 399 runs at a strike rate of 162.19. He also did well against Bangladesh in the home series straight after PSL,2025.

Abbas Afridi, with 21 T20Is under his belt, leads the new bowling core. He impressed in PSL 2025 with 17 wickets in 11 games, while Salman Mirza caught the eye with nine wickets from just four outings for Lahore Qalandars. This injection of form players from the domestic circuit represents a significant departure from past selection patterns where reputations often held sway over current form.

In addition to Shadab and Rauf’s injury-forced exits, the selectors have left out Irfan Khan Niazi, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Wasim Jr., and Naseem Shah. Hasan Ali, previously the leading wicket-taker during Bangladesh’s tour of Pakistan, is being allowed to continue playing in England, while Naseem and Shaheen are being considered for ODI duties instead.

A Glimpse of What’s to Come?

This will be Pakistan’s second T20I assignment under Mike Hesson and another opportunity to test the depth of its revamped squad. With bilateral T20s lined up against West Indies in August and fewer ODIs in the schedule, the Pakistan Cricket Board is reportedly negotiating to convert some of those ODIs into T20Is, further reaffirming its T20-centric rebuild.

The tour to Bangladesh — a return leg after Pakistan's 3-0 sweep at home earlier this year — offers the new-look side another testing ground. While the absence of several big names may be seen as a gamble, it is also a deliberate experiment — one aimed at finding Pakistan’s next match-winners before 2026 arrives.

Whether this youth-infused approach leads to immediate results or not, the message from the selectors is clear: the future is now.