PCB announces Pakistan’s ODI squad for Bangladesh tour; Babar Azam & Saim Ayub axed

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), on Wednesday, March 4, named the 15-member ODI squad for the upcoming Bangladesh tour. Interestingly, the talismanic batter Babar Azam has been axed from the squad.

 All three ODIs will be played at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka on March 11, 13, and 15. Interestingly, the struggling batter Babar, who was axed from the recent Sri Lankan T20I clash in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 campaign after a series of poor scores with the willow, has been removed from the ODI set-up as well, raising eyebrows.

Moreover, the selectors have also surprised everyone by including as many as six uncapped players in the squad, namely, Sahibzada Farhan, Abdul Samad, Maaz Sadaqat, Muhammad Ghazi Ghori, Saad Masood, and Shamyl Hussain.

Additionally, opening batter Saim Ayub, who scored three centuries and two half-centuries in his previous 13 ODIs and played a crucial role in Pakistan’s away series wins in Australia and South Africa in 2024, has been axed from the squad.

Mohammad Rizwan, who was not part of the T20 World Cup 2026, has retained his spot in the ODI setup as the wicketkeeper. Talking about Pakistan’s bowling department, Abrar Ahmed is the primary spinner, with Faisal Akram being the secondary spinner. Shaheen Afridi leads the attack alongside Haris Rauf and Faheem Ashraf in the pace battery.

Pakistan’s ODI Squad: 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, Shamyl Hussain.

Stay updated with the latest cricket news, match insights, and exclusive updates at Sky365 and download the Sky365 App to start betting today!