DUBAI: After the T20 World Cup, the Pakistan cricket team has arrived in Dhaka in the wee hours of Saturday for the first bilateral series against Bangladesh in six years.
Except for skipper Babar Azam and experienced cricketer Shoaib Malik, all players have travelled to Bangladesh where they will play three T20Is and two Tests against the home side. The national squad will start practice after spending one day in quarantine.
Babar and Shoaib will join the team in Dhaka on November 16. Meanwhile, Iftikhar Ahmed joined the team in Dubai and left for Bangladesh from there. Iftikhar has been included in the squad after Mohammad Hafeez withdrew himself from the tour.
Earlier this week, the PCB had announced the team for the Bangladesh series retaining the squad that played the ICC T20 World Cup, except Mohammad Hafeez who requested the team management to be left out, allowing opportunities for young players to participate.
Iftikhar Ahmed was added to the middle-order that also includes Haider Ali and Khushdil Shah. Pakistan squad for the two Tests, which will be played from 26-30 November and 4-8 December in Chittagong and Dhaka, respectively will be announced in due course.
Meanwhile, the PCB had retained the same team management, which was present in the United Arab Emirates, barring batting consultant Matthew Hayden who was not available due to prior commitments.
T20 Squad
Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Asif Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wicketkeeper), Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shahnawaz Dahani, Shoaib Malik, Usman Qadir.
