Pakistan’s selection committee is set to omit senior players Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, and Shaheen Shah Afridi from the upcoming T20 series against the West Indies and Bangladesh. This decision highlights a shift in focus towards developing younger talent ahead of a packed international schedule.
Sources suggest that the selection panel, featuring Aaqib Javed, Aleem Dar, Azhar Ali, and Asad Shafiq, alongside head coach Mike Hesson, have communicated to the veteran trio that their services will not be required for the upcoming T20 assignments. Instead, the team management wants them to focus on the ICC World Test Championship and the ODI format, where experience is viewed as more critical.
Pakistan is scheduled to tour the West Indies in late July to play three T20 Internationals and three ODIs. Subsequently, the team will travel to Bangladesh for a T20 series, initially slated for three matches. Discussions are ongoing to potentially extend the series to five matches in August.
Furthermore, Pakistan is slated to play Afghanistan in a T20 series later in August, which will serve as valuable preparation for the Asia Cup (likely in September) and the ICC T20 World Cup early next year.
The selectors and head coach Hesson aim to give young players ample opportunities in the shortest format. The exclusion of the senior players is a strategic move, focusing on expanding squad depth.
Shaheen Afridi continues to perform well in franchise cricket, having recently captained Lahore Qalandars to their third Pakistan Super League (PSL) title in five seasons. This is not the first instance where Babar, Rizwan, and Shaheen have been excluded from Pakistan’s T20 squad. Babar, specifically, has been left out of several recent series, including those against New Zealand, Bangladesh, Australia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa, indicating a long-term approach from the team management.