Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam are not included for third successive series 
Sports

Pakistan drops Babar, Rizwan; fast bowler Ali returns for B’desh T20Is

Hasan played just one T20 international in nearly three years when he returned with expensive figures of 0-42 in three overs against Ireland in Dublin in 2024

Agencies

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has recalled fast bowler Hasan Ali for this month's Twenty20 home matches against Bangladesh but overlooked senior batters Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam for the third successive series.

Hasan played just one T20 international in nearly three years when he returned with expensive figures of 0-42 in three overs against Ireland in Dublin in 2024.

However, the right-arm fast bowler has forced his way back into the squad with a rich haul of 15 wickets in the Pakistan Super League while representing the Karachi Kings.

Rizwan and Babar were dropped for the last two series in Zimbabwe and New Zealand as Pakistan continued to reshape its top-order ahead of next year's T20 World Cup.

Rizwan scored 367 runs at a strike rate of 139.54 in the PSL this season as his franchise, the Multan Sultans, suffered nine defeats in 10 games.

Babar's Peshawar Zalmi also missed out on the playoffs for the first time in PSL history as he finished the season with 288 runs and a strike rate of 128.57.

Salman Ali Agha, who was appointed captain ahead of the T20 series in Australia last year, will continue to lead the side with Shadab Khan as his deputy.

The series will be the first assignment for Pakistan's newly appointed white-ball coach Mike Hesson, who is currently in charge of Islamabad United in the PSL.

The three-match series will be played in Lahore but the match dates are yet to be announced.

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