Next 12 months’s World Cup is in sight as a new-look Pakistan below Mike Hesson host a younger Bangladesh staff in Lahore in three Twenty20 internationals from Wednesday (May 28, 2025).
The 2009 world champions Pakistan have endured a big downturn within the final 12 months and crashed out within the first spherical of the World Cup in 2024.
They have gained solely three of their final 13 T20Is, two towards minnows Zimbabwe, and slumped to eighth within the T20I rankings.
With a brand new head coach in New Zealand’s Hesson they’re wanting to youthful gamers with the World Cup in India and Sri Lanka simply eight months away.
Star batsmen Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, and tempo spearhead Shaheen Shah Afridi, have all been axed.
Salman Agha will lead the facet, having misplaced a collection in New Zealand 4-1 two months in the past.
“We’ve been really clear around the style of play we want and then it’s about picking players that can do that,” Hesson, who coached New Zealand from 2012-2018, mentioned.
“We’ve got a good number of T20Is between now and the World Cup.
“We will develop a depth of squad playing the way we want and the rankings will come in time because it is about the way we want to play.”
Bangladesh, ranked ninth, are in the identical boat.
They have gained simply 4 of their final 12 T20Is and misplaced collection towards lower-ranked United States (2024) and United Arab Emirates earlier this month.
They even have a brand new coach in West Indian Phil Simmons, who will likely be lacking senior gamers together with Tamim Iqbal, Shakib Al Hasan, Mohammad Mahmudullah and Mushfiqur Rahim, all both absolutely retired or from the T20Is.
“We’re aiming to improve our cricket by performing well in this series,” mentioned Simmons, who took over in October.
Frontline quick bowlers Taskin Ahmed and Mustafizur Rahman are nursing accidents whereas new tempo sensation Nahid Rana withdrew from the tour over safety fears following the cross-border battle between India and Pakistan.
The battle put the tour doubtful however Bangladesh lastly agreed to play three T20Is as a substitute of the scheduled 5.
The remaining matches are on Friday (May 30, 2025) and Sunday (June 1, 2025), additionally in Lahore.
Published – May 28, 2025 04:30 am IST
