Pakistan’s white-ball caravan rolled into Dhaka on Sunday morning as Shaheen Shah Afridi led a new-look squad into Bangladesh for a three-match ODI series at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur starting on 11 March. The tour lands in the middle of cricket’s global noise around the T20 World Cup final, yet Dhaka now hosts a quieter but intriguing subplot.
Afridi touched down with a portion of the squad and support staff, while head coach Mike Hesson arrived a day earlier to begin preparations. The schedule looks tight and simple: three ODIs on 11, 13 and 15 March, all under Mirpur lights with a 2:15 pm local start.
Pakistan’s itinerary originally promised a full tour across formats. The Pakistan Super League ripped that plan apart. Organisers scrapped the T20 leg entirely and reduced the visit to a short ODI sprint before Pakistan return in May for a two-Test series.
The selectors also pressed the reset button on personnel. Afridi leads a squad packed with new names and six potential debutants as Pakistan search for fresh combinations ahead of the next 50-over cycle. The decision even left out former captain Babar Azam, a move that signalled a clear rebuild rather than a routine bilateral tour.
Bangladesh, meanwhile, carry a different memory into Mirpur. Eleven years ago the Tigers shredded Pakistan 3-0 in the last ODI series between the sides on Bangladeshi soil. That clean sweep still stands as one of Bangladesh’s most satisfying bilateral statements.
History, however, rarely flatters the hosts. Pakistan dominate the overall ODI rivalry with 34 wins from 39 meetings, while Bangladesh claim only five victories. Mirpur now offers Bangladesh a rare chance to rebalance that lopsided ledger.
Bangladesh squad:
Mehidy Hasan Miraz (captain), Soumya Sarkar, Saif Hassan, Tanzid Hasan, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Towhid Hridoy, Litton Kumar Das, Afif Hossain, Mahidul Islam Ankon, Rishad Hossain, Tanvir Islam, Mustafizur Rahman, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Nahid Rana.
Pakistan squad:
Shaheen Shah Afridi (captain), Abdul Samad, Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Faisal Akram, Haris Rauf, Hussain Talat, Maaz Sadaqat, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Muhammad Ghazi Ghori, Saad Masood, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Ali Agha, Shamyl Hussain.
