Following the exclusion of high-profile players from the ODI squad for the upcoming Bangladesh tour, Pakistan’s white-ball head coach Mike Hesson has clarified that the decision should not be interpreted as a reaction to the team’s disappointing performance at the T20 World Cup 2026. 

PCB recently made a surprising decision by dropping Babar Azam, Saim Ayub, and Naseem Shah from the ODI series against Bangladesh, bringing in new faces in the form of Sahibzada Farhan, Abdul Samad, Maaz Sadaqat, Muhammad Ghazi Ghori, Saad Masood and Shamyl Hussain. Notably, Pakistan are scheduled to take on Bangladesh in the first ODI on Wednesday at Sher-e-Bangla Cricket Stadium. 

Speaking about the selection calls, Hesson emphasised that the omissions were not meant as criticism of the senior players’ performances in the T20 World Cup. Instead, he explained that the team management sees the upcoming matches as a valuable opportunity to test other players ahead of the ODI World Cup. 

“I don't think anyone particularly was dropped. I think, as I said, it's a great opportunity for us to look at some younger talent,” Hesson said at the pre-match press conference.

“We get very few opportunities in the calendar to give a number of promising players opportunities. You're either heading into a pinnacle event or just leading into it, so it depends how many players debut here,” he explained.

“There's a lot of players that have been around the circuit for a while and have been waiting for this opportunity. Someone like Sahibzada Farhan has obviously forced his case through how well he's done in the T20 World Cup, but he's also done very well domestically when he's been able to play 50-over cricket as well,” he said.

Recently, Pakistan’s campaign at the T20 World Cup 2026, hosted across India and Sri Lanka, wasn't as fruitful as they would have wanted. The team struggled to maintain consistency, exiting the tournament ahead of the semi-final. Senior batter Babar Azam endured a poor form in the T20 World Cup, scoring only 91 runs in four innings at a strike rate of 112.34.