Shadab, Rauf to miss revamped Pakistan's T20I tour of Bangladesh
Ahmed Daniyal, Salman Mirza, Sufiyan Muqeem, Hasan Nawaz and Abbas Afridi are the newcomers to the side led by Salman Agha
ESPNcricinfo staff
08-Jul-2025 • 9 hrs ago
Haris Rauf was ruled out after picking up a hamstring injury at MLC 2025 • ICC/Getty Images
Salman Agha will lead a side without a recovering Shadab Khan and an injured Haris Rauf for Pakistan's three-match T20I series against Bangladesh in Mirpur, Dhaka, to be played between July 20 and 24.
The squad has been trimmed by one from the time Pakistan played their last T20I series - also against Bangladesh - but at home in May-June, when Pakistan won 3-0.
Shadab has recently undergone surgery on his right shoulder and is currently recovering. Rauf, meanwhile, picked up a hamstring injury at the MLC, which has ruled him out of San Francisco Unicorns' playoff matches. Apart from them, Irfan Khan Niazi, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Wasim and Naseem Shah have been left out. Hasan, who was the top wicket-taker when Bangladesh toured Pakistan earlier, has been allowed to continue playing in England while selectors try out other options. Naseem and Shaheen Shah Afridi - also absent - are being considered for ODIs by Pakistan for the moment.
The replacements don't bring a lot of experience with them. Ahmed Daniyal, the medium pacer, and Salman Mirza, the left-arm quick, are uncapped in international cricket, while left-arm wristspinner Sufiyan Muqeem is just ten T20Is old. Top-order batter Hasan Nawaz made his international debut earlier this year and has played just eight T20Is, although he also did have a stellar PSL season. Abbas Afridi, the medium pacer, is relatively more experienced, having played 21 T20Is since making his debut early last year.
Some of them were among the better performers at the PSL earlier this year. Abbas Afridi was the fourth-highest wicket-taker overall, with 17 wickets from 11 innings for Karachi Kings. Salman Mirza picked up nine wickets from just four games for Lahore Qalandars. Nawaz, meanwhile, was the third-highest run-scorer overall with 399 runs in ten innings for Quetta Gladiators, going at a strike rate of 162.19.
This is the second T20I series Pakistan will be playing under new white-ball coach Mike Hesson, with the next T20 World Cup scheduled for early 2026 in India and Sri Lanka.
The squad for the white-ball series against West Indies, to be played in Lauderhill (T20Is) and Tarouba (ODIs) in early August, "will be announced in due course," the PCB said in a statement. The board's COO Summer Syed said they were in negotiations with Cricket West Indies to turn the ODIs of that tour into more T20Is, given there is a T20 World Cup next year.