Credits: AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary

PCB has revealed a 15-man squad for Pakistan's short trip to Bangladesh this month which includes three T20 internationals in Dhaka. It has continued it's policy to invest in young guns as Pakistan looks to take a direction towards the future in T20 cricket, playing with a more fearless and positive approach as youngsters like Muhammad Haris, Hassan Nawaz and Saim Ayub take the charge in this regard under the leadership of Salman Ali Agha. Sahibzada Farhan and Fahkar Zaman also provide power-hitting options at the top, whereas surprisingly middle-order batsman Irfan Khan Niazi has been excluded despite not getting a game in the previous series against Bangladesh.

Discarded all-rounder Muhammad Nawaz, who lost played an international match for Pakistan way back in January 2024 in New Zealand makes a comeback. For those unaware, Shadab Khan has undergone a surgery on his shoulder in England and is expected to make his return back home in September, which puts his Asia Cup participation in this doubt. Shadab's absence opens the door for Nawaz, who will have a role to play in spinning conditions of Bangladesh along with Abrar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah and Sufyan Muqeem, who also returns after having missed out on the series against Bangladesh in Lahore recently.

Pakistan has gone with a completely new look pace attack. Hasan Ali finds himself rested, while Haris Rauf was ruled out after suffering a hamstring injury while playing Major League Cricket (MLC) in the United States. Shaheen Shah Afridi is still missing from the squad, though it remains uncertain whether he's being rested or dropped. Naseem Shah finds himself excluded, while Wasim Jr. is also a major miss.

Following his superb performances in the back-end of the PSL where he picked up 9 wickets in 4 games, Salman Mirza has been picked up for the national team for the first time. Ahmed Daniyal has also been included in the squad, along with Abbas Afridi and Faheem Ashraf as the other pace options.

In Bangladesh conditions, Khushdil Shah and Faheem Ashraf had both displayed stellar performances in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) 2025. Khushdil scored 298 runs in 8 innings at an average of 59.6 and a massive strike rate of 175.29, while also picking up 17 wickets with the ball in 9 innings at an economy of 6.03. Faheem Ashraf was the third-leading wicket taker, picking up 20 wickets at an economy of 7.12 and an average of 13.90. He also impressed with the bat, scoring 102 runs at an average of 34 and a incredible strike rate of 231.81. These performances may have influenced their selections in the Pakistan team for the Champions Trophy, though both have also put in decent performances in national colors and later on in the PSL as well.

Pakistan recently played a 3-match T20I series against Bangladesh in Lahore back in late May-early June in which the Men in Green thoroughly dominated winning all three matches comprehensively while also scoring more than 200 batting first in the first two games followed by a chase of 197 in just 17.2 overs in the last one.

After this series, Pakistan has a tour of West Indies, the details of which are not finalized yet. Although the original plan was to have 3 T20Is in Florida (US) and 3 ODIs in Trinidad, there has been wide speculation in the media that the ODIs may also be converted in T20Is in order to prepare for the T20 World Cup in India & Sri Lanka next February and also for the Asia Cup in September in Pakistan's case. The PCB COO Sumair Ahmed Syed while talking to the media regarding this squad said that  discussions are ongoing between the two boards regarding this matter, whereas PCB through their website said that the white-ball squad for the West Indies series will be announced in due course.

Pakistan's squad for the Bangladesh tour:

1. Salman Ali Agha (c)
2. Abrar Ahmed
3. Ahmed Daniyal
4. Faheem Ashraf
5. Fakhar Zaman
6. Hassan Nawaz
7. Hussain Talat
8. Khushdil Shah
9. Muhammad Abbas Afridi
10. Muhammad Haris (wk)
11. Muhammad Nawaz
12. Sahibzada Farhan (wk)
13. Saim Ayub
14. Salman Mirza
15. Sufyan Muqeem

Schedule for Pakistan tour of Bangladesh

1st T20I: 20th July - Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, Dhaka
2nd T20I: 22nd July - Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, Dhaka
3rd T20I: 24th July - Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, Dhaka

*All matches start at 6pm local time, 5pm Pakistan Standard Time