On Saturday, April 18, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) named a 16-member squad for their upcoming two-match Test series against Bangladesh, scheduled to be held in May 2026. The series, which will be part of the World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 cycle, will see the Men in Green play under the leadership fo Shan Masood, who has been reinstated as the skipper despite team’s recent below-par showings.
Apart from this, Pakistan has, however, opted to inject a few fresh faces, handing a maiden call-up to four uncapped players. Abdullah Fazal and Azan Awais have been rewarded a place in the 16 men squad on the back of their strong domestic performances. Amad Butt, who is a bowling all-rounder, earned his place on the back of a decade-long experience in domestic circuit and wicketkeeper-batter Ghazi Ghori comes in after making his ODI debut last month.
Sarfaraz Ahmed named head coach for Pakistan’s Bangladesh tour
The squad also features key international names like Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Rizwan, but one major change which comes in is the PCB vouching on Sarfaraz Ahmed as their head coach. The former captain comes into the coaching role after announcing retirement from international cricket in March this year.
He finished with 54 Tests, 117 ODIs and 61 T20Is, having led Pakistan to victory in the Champions Trophy 2017 and also the Under-19 World Cup in 2006. He will be supported by Asad Shafiq as batting coach and Umar Gul as bowling coach.
Pakistan’s Test squad for Bangladesh series
Shan Masood (captain), Abdullah Fazal, Amad Butt, Azan Awais, Babar Azam, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Muhammad Ghazi Ghori (wk), Noman Ali, Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha, Saud Shakeel and Shaheen Shah Afridi.
Bangladesh vs Pakistan Test series schedule
| Date | Match | Venue | Teams | Time (IST) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 08–12, 2026 | 1st Test | Mirpur | Bangladesh vs Pakistan | 9:00 AM |
| May 16–20, 2026 | 2nd Test | Sylhet | Bangladesh vs Pakistan | 9:00 AM |
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