‘No one is dropped; want to give opportunities to youngsters’ – Shaheen Afridi on Babar Azam’s absence from Bangladesh ODIs

Shaheen Afridi (Source -Twitter/X)

Pakistan captain Shaheen Afridi has stated that nobody has been “dropped” as Pakistan head to Bangladesh for an ODI series without the likes of Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman and Saim Ayub.

Afridi also stated that there will be three debutants, including Sahibzada Frahan, who recently lit up the T20 World Cup, becoming the player with the most runs scored in a single season, with 383, and became the only player to score two centuries in a single season.

“Look, no one was dropped for this series. We just want to give opportunity for our youngsters. They also are our future. You want to give opportunity against Bangladesh. I think when the time comes, they will also know their role and what’s coming in future. We just need to prepare our team for the World Cup. It is an opportunity for the youngsters to show their skills,” Afridi was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz.

“There will be three debuts. Sahibzada Farhan is a top performer in T20s and in List A cricket. Maaz Sadaqat will open and Shamyl Hussain will be one down. We are also, as a team, very excited to see them play for Pakistan, and not just for one series but for the future as well,” he added.

He also stated that Bangladesh are a strong side but he remains confident of his team’s ability to step up to the challenge.

“Bangladesh have a good side. They play very good cricket in home conditions. They beat West Indies recently. We are prepared as a team. We won our last two ODI series against South Africa and Sri Lanka. We played very good cricket, so we just want to continue that,” he said.

Shaheen also spoke of the experience from the Bangladesh Premier League, which makes his players familiar with the conditions.

“I think they have some experience here playing the Bangladesh Premier League. Sahibzada Farhan, Maaz Sadaqat and few others played here this year. I think they already played on this ground and pitch, they know the condition as well. I hope they play their best cricket,” said Afridi.

Pakistan will play Bangladesh in the first of three ODIs at the Sher-E-Bangla National stadium in Dhaka, on Wednesday March 11.

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