Pakistan picked four debutants for the opening ODI of the series against Bangladesh in Dhaka, the first time since 2008 that the side has handed as many players their first cap in a single match.
The XI, led by Shaheen Afridi, included first-time ODI appearances for Sahibzada Farhan, Shamyl Hussain, Abdul Samad and Maaz Sadaqat. Their inclusion follows a reshuffle after Pakistan’s early exit from the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, where the team failed to progress beyond the Super Eight stage.
Among the four, Farhan is the oldest at 30 and arrived in the ODI side on the back of prolific T20 form. After a breakthrough season in the National T20 Cup last year, he has been a regular in Pakistan’s T20I setup in recent months and finished the most recent T20 World Cup with 383 runs, the highest tally by a batter in a single edition of the tournament. Although he has not played a List A match since 2024, his performances in the shorter format helped push his case for selection.
He opened alongside Sadaqat, the 20-year-old batting all-rounder. Sadaqat first came into prominence through his appearances for Peshawar Zalmi in the Pakistan Super League, most notably scoring a half-century on debut, aged 19. Across 32 T20 innings, he averages 36.42, along with a strike rate of over 142. His recent List A numbers also showed steady improvement, with three centuries and two half-centuries in his last 12 matches ahead of his ODI debut.
1st ODI, Bangladesh vs Pakistan
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At No.3 was 21-year-old Shamyl, making it the first time since their first-ever ODI game that Pakistan had three debutants batting in the top three. Shamyl has been identified within Pakistan’s domestic structure as one of the more promising young batters across formats. He played for Islamabad in the latest edition of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, finishing with 899 runs at 64.21, the second-highest run-scorer in the competition. Before the game, Shamyl had played 13 List A games, averaging 46.33 at a strike rate of over run a ball.
Read more: Shamyl Hussain hits purple patch with sixth straight fifty across formats
Samad, who batted at No.6, was the other debutant. Known primarily for his power-hitting in T20 cricket, he has also put together a steady List A record, averaging above 35 with two centuries in the format. He was also the leading run-scorer for the Pakistan Shaheens in their only List A fixture against England A before the tour was curtailed, making 44 in 57.
The debutants did not have a memorable start, as Pakistan fell to 82-9 by the 24th over, with Nahid Rana picking up a five-for. However, the selection has larger implications.
What now for Babar Azam?
Pakistan’s squad for the series included six uncapped players after several established players were omitted from the ODI setup. Former captain Babar is among those missing, along with Saim Ayub, Mohammad Nawaz and Naseem Shah. However, Afridi indicated ahead of the match that the decision was aimed at creating opportunities rather than signalling permanent omissions.
“Look, no one is dropped for this series,” Shaheen clarified when asked about Babar. “We just want to give opportunities to our youngsters because they are our future and we wanted to give them the opportunity against Bangladesh.
“When the time comes, they will know their roles and what is coming in the future, and we just need to prepare our team for the World Cup, and this is a good opportunity for the youngsters to go out and show their skills.”
Babar, whose strongest returns historically have come in ODI cricket, endured a difficult 2025 but did register his first century in nearly 30 months during the home series against Sri Lanka last November.
Several of the players missing from the squad were also part of the group that bore the brunt of Pakistan’s disappointing T20 World Cup campaign, which resulted in fines from the Pakistan Cricket Board. Among them is Ayub, whose ODI record remains among the strongest in the current group, with three centuries and two half-centuries in his first 13 matches. He was also central to Pakistan’s away ODI series wins in Australia and South Africa in late 2024.
This is not the first time that Pakistan have responded sharply to disappointment in one format by reshaping another. After the side’s winless campaign in the Champions Trophy last year, Babar and then captain Mohammad Rizwan were removed from the T20I setup despite the tournament being played in the 50-over format. Babar remained out of the T20I side for nearly seven months before eventually returning to play the T20 World Cup.
The current omissions carry a similar feel. An underwhelming T20 World Cup has been followed by changes to the ODI squad, including the absence of players whose records in the format remain strong. Whether this is a knee-jerk reaction or not remains to be seen.
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