Saad masood

Muhammad Ghazi Ghori: Pakistan men’s head coach Mike Hesson clarified on Monday that senior batter Babar Azam had not been “dropped” from the squad for the upcoming ODI series against Bangladesh, insisting the changes were aimed at giving opportunities to emerging players.

Pakistan named a significantly altered squad for the series, leaving out several established names. Along with Babar, the selectors also omitted all-rounder Saim Ayub, injured opener Fakhar Zaman, wicketkeeper-batter Haseebullah, spinner Mohammad Nawaz and fast bowler Naseem Shah.

In their place, six uncapped players, namely Sahibzada Farhan, Abdul Samad, Maaz Sadaqat, Muhammad Ghazi Ghori, Saad Masood and Shamyl Hussain have been included in the squad.