PCB shortlists five strong contenders for Bangladesh T20I series

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has shortlisted five strong contenders — four experienced campaigners and one emerging talent — for the upcoming five-match T20I series against Bangladesh next month.

According to sources, the players being considered for selection are Sahibzada Farhan, Hussain Talat, Hasan Ali, Faheem Ashraf and young pacer Ali Raza.

The five-match T20I series is set to be played in Pakistan, with fixtures scheduled in Faisalabad and Lahore. 

The exact dates of the series are yet to be announced, but the Bangladesh team is expected to arrive in Pakistan on May 21.

Among the key names is Sahibzada Farhan, who has been in scintillating form in the ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL) Season 10. Farhan has scored heavily this year, reaching several milestones.

He joined an elite group of batters by registering four T20 centuries in a single calendar year — a feat previously achieved only by Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli, Jos Buttler, and Shubman Gill.

Farhan currently tops the global T20 run-scorers' chart, amassing 841 runs in 12 matches at an extraordinary average of 84.10 and a strike rate of 182.42.

His tally includes three half-centuries and four centuries, putting him ahead of West Indies' Nicholas Pooran, who has scored 705 runs in 21 matches this year.

Despite his impressive domestic form, the 29-year-old has only played nine T20Is for Pakistan, scoring 86 runs at a strike rate of 95.55. His most recent international appearance came against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo in 2024.

All-rounder Hussain Talat has also earned a recall following his impactful performances for Peshawar Zalmi in PSL 10, where he has accumulated 193 runs in six matches.

In T20Is, the left-handed batter has represented Pakistan in 18 matches, scoring 394 runs with two fifties at a strike rate of 118.31. His last appearance came in 2021 against South Africa in Lahore.

All-rounder Faheem Ashraf is under consideration after solid all-round contributions for Quetta Gladiators. He has scored 68 runs and taken six wickets in the ongoing PSL season.

Faheem was part of Pakistan’s squad for the ODI series against New Zealand and the Champions Trophy 2025, with his last T20I appearance coming in 2023 against New Zealand in Rawalpindi.

Hasan Ali, currently in red-hot form for Karachi Kings, is the leading wicket-taker of PSL 10 with 13 wickets in six matches. 

He recently surpassed Wahab Riaz to become the all-time highest wicket-taker in PSL history, with 121 wickets in 88 matches.

In T20Is, Hasan has claimed 60 wickets in 51 matches, with his most recent appearance coming against Ireland in 2024.

Emerging pacer Ali Raza, representing Peshawar Zalmi, has impressed selectors with eight wickets in six matches in PSL 10.