Shadab, Rauf among top stars to miss revamped Pakistan's T20I series in Bangladesh

Islamabad [Pakistan], July 8 (ANI): Salman Ali Agha will lead Pakistan, bereft of all-rounder Shadab Khan and tearaway Haris Rauf, in a three-match T20I series against Bangladesh in Mirpur, Dhaka, scheduled to be played from July 20 to 24.
In the second assignment of white ball head coach Mike Hesson, the Pakistan squad has been trimmed by one compared to their last T20I home series, which was also against Bangladesh in May. The Men in Green swept the series 3-0 with consummate ease as they try to figure out the best combination for next year's T20 World Cup, scheduled to be held in India and Sri Lanka.
Shadab has been ruled out of the series after recently undergoing shoulder surgery, and he is currently in rehab. Rauf is suffering from a hamstring injury, which has forced him to miss the San Francisco Unicorns' MLC 2025 playoff matches. Former mainstays Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah have been left out of the squad.
Pakistan's bowling department lacks the appetite for experience. Medium pacer Ahmed Daniyal and left-arm quick Salman Mirza are still waiting for their first international cap. Meanwhile, left-arm wristspinner Sufiyan Muqeem doesn't boast much experience, considering he is just 10 T20Is old.
Hasan Nawaz, a top-order batter, made his debut earlier this year and has eight T20I appearances under his belt. Abbas Afridi, a medium pacer, has relatively more experience with 21 T20I appearances to his name since bursting onto the international circuit last year.
Abbas thrived in Pakistan's premier T20 tournament, PSL, finishing as the fourth-highest wicket-taker in the tournament, with 17 scalps in 11 innings while representing Karachi Kings. Salman Mirza finished with nine wickets from four matches while donning the colours of Lahore Qalandars. Nawaz put his rich vein of form on exhibition and ended his campaign as the third-highest run-scorer with a tally of 399 in 10 innings for Quetta Gladiators while striking at 162.19.
Pakistan squad for T20I series against Bangladesh: Salman Agha (capt), Abrar Ahmed, Ahmed Daniyal, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Hassan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Haris (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Sahibzada Farhan (wk), Saim Ayub, Salman Mirza, Sufiyan Muqeem. (ANI)