Shaheen Shah Afridi said Pakistan rested Babar Azam and a few others for the upcoming series against Bangladesh to give the youngsters a fair chance, keeping in mind the ODI World Cup 2027. Earlier, Pakistan had left out Babar, Saim Ayub and Naseem Shah and picked six uncapped players for the series.
On Monday, head coach Mike Hesson explained that the senior players were rested provide opportunities for new talent. Echoing Hesson’s sentiments, Afridi emphasized that the series offers a valuable platform for newcomers to showcase their skills at the highest level.
Read the full story
“Look, nobody is out in this series, we just want to give some youngsters an opportunity because they are the future as well,” Shaheen said in the pre-match press conference.
“We want to give them a chance against Bangladesh. When the time comes, they will understand their role and what is ahead of them, especially with the World Cup in mind.”
“Right now we need to prepare our team for the World Cup and this is a good opportunity for the young players to come out and show their skills,” added Shaheen.
PAKISTAN PICK 3 DEBUTANTS FOR OPEN
Among the six uncapped players, three of them, Sahibzada Farhan, Maaz Sadaqat and Shamyl Hussain will make their ODI debuts in the series opener against Bangladesh on Wednesday March 11 at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur.
Shaheen confirmed this at a press conference. Sahibzada Farhan had a stellar T20 World Cup, scoring 383 runs in six innings at an average of 76.60 and a strike rate of 160.25, including centuries against Namibia and Sri Lanka, breaking Virat Kohli’s record for most runs in a single edition. He finished second in the ICC T20I batsman rankings.
Maaz Sadaqat shone in last year’s Rising Stars Asia Cup, leading the charts with 258 runs for 129. Shamyl Hussain excelled in domestic cricket, scoring 899 runs in the 2025–26 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy and 452 in List A matches, while also captaining the Islamabad Shaheens.
– The end
Issued by:
sabyasachi chowdhury
Published on:
10 March 2026 18:52 IST
