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Cricket PlayersMike Hesson breaks silence on Babar Azam's omission from Pakistan ODI squad: ‘I wouldn’t say anyone was dropped'
Pakistan's coach Mike Hesson emphasises that squad changes for the Bangladesh ODI series are trials for younger players, not a purge.
Pakistan’s white-ball coach Mike Hesson has sought to cool the noise around the squad for the Bangladesh ODI series, insisting changes should be viewed less as a purge and more as a trial run for the next set of players. The explanation, however, comes against the backdrop of one unavoidable fact: former captain Babar Azam has been left out of the squad for the three-match series, alongside other established names, after Pakistan’s underwhelming T20 World Cup 2026 campaign.
Speaking before the series, Hesson made it clear that he did not want the discussion framed as senior players being discarded. Instead, he presented the tour as a window to test younger options in a format Pakistan have not played enough in recent months.
“I wouldn’t say anyone was dropped. We just see this series as an opportunity to give these promising players a chance to prove themselves,” Hesson said in a press conference as quoted by PTI.
In cricketing language, omissions of big names are almost always read as selections made at someone’s expense. However, Hesson suggests Pakistan wants to position this tour as an opportunity to test new names in the ODI format.
Notably, besides Babar Azam, names like Fakhar Zaman (injured), Haseebullah, Mohammad Nawaz, and pacer Naseem Shah were also excluded from the touring party. Pakistan have included new faces - Sahibzada Farhan, Abdul Samad, Maaz Sadaqat, Muhammad Ghazi Ghori, Saad Masood and Shamyl Hussain in the squad for the Bangladesh ODI series.
Hesson points to new faces with the Bangladesh test looming
Mike Hesson also explained why some of the newer names had been brought in, arguing that strong domestic and recent white-ball form had made their cases difficult to ignore. “Sahibzada Farhan has forced himself into the ODI squad because of his exceptional performances in T20s, and then young players like Shamyl Hussain or Maaz Sadaqat have been doing well in domestic cricket and junior sides,” said Hesson.
The selection message seems significant. Pakistan are not merely looking to fill gaps, they are trying to create competition for the spots. Farhan’s inclusion rewards form, while Shamyl Hussain and Maaz Sadaqat’s inclusions underline that the management wants this series to double up as an audition for the upcoming ODI World Cup.
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Hesson also avoided selling the Banglaesh assignment as a soft landing. “The series will not be easy as Bangladesh have been playing a lot more one-day cricket than us. I see this series as a big opportunity for these new players.”
Hesson seems to have correctly assessed the upcoming assignment. Bangladesh, at home, are not the kind of opposition against whom experiments come without risk. Pakistan are effectively assigning inexperienced players to prove themselves in a series that could become uncomfortable if they don’t settle in immediately. So, while Hesson refuses to call the exclusion of senior Pakistan players as being dropped, the management is searching for the next generation of players in a potentially challenging series.
