Pakistan coach Mike Hesson has backed a new-look squad to rise to the challenge of touring Bangladesh, saying several emerging players have earned their opportunities for the ODI series after strong performances with Pakistan Shaheens and in domestic cricket.
Pakistan have six uncapped players in the side, with Hesson describing the group as an "exciting" mix of established players and new talent. Ahead of Pakistan's first training session in Dhaka on Monday, he said the management was keen to test the fresh faces in conditions that challenge visiting sides.
"It is an exciting group," Hesson said. "We have got some fresh faces that have done well in the Shaheens. They have earned the right to get some opportunities at the next level. We are excited as a group to involve them. I think our challenge over here is adapting to the pitch quickly. Regardless of what's thrown at us, we have got to make sure we have got a team ready to challenge Bangladesh in their own conditions.
"Our last two one-day series have been exceptional. We have won both of those very convincingly. We played some good, solid cricket. We got runs at the top of the order, which always help. This series will be a challenge for some new players to do the same thing."
The squad announcement drew attention after the omission of Babar Azam, though Hesson avoided framing the decision as dropping. He turned the focus to the new faces in the ODI side, and he hopes they're given an extended run in international cricket.
"I don't think anyone particularly was dropped," Hesson said. "I think it's a great opportunity for us to look at some younger talent. We get very few opportunities in the calendar to give a number of promising players opportunities. You are either heading into a pinnacle or just leading into it. So it depends how many players debut here. There's a lot of players that have been around the circuit for a while and been waiting for this opportunity.
"Someone like Sahibzada Farhan , who's 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. Shamyl Hussain is an exciting talent. He was the highest run-scorer in first-class cricket. He was exceptional in List A. He's done well for the Shaheens.
"Maaz Sadaqat has been on the fringes for a while. So these are names that, you know, you haven't been able to see and it's an opportunity for them to show how good they are in this series."
Pakistan will take on Bangladesh in the first ODI on Wednesday, with the second and third ODI to be played on March 13 and 15, respectively. All three matches will be played at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka. When Pakistan played the T20I series at the same venue in July last year, Hesson had been critical of the pitch, saying it was "not up to international standards". This time, however, he believes the conditions appear to have improved.
"Without doubt, it certainly looks a far better pitch and better coverage than it has been," Hesson said. "I think, unfortunately, the pitch here hasn't been great for a while. But I think we saw even in the BPL that the pitches here were much better.
"It looks like there's a lot more grass cover and [there is likely to be] a genuine contest between bat and ball. I think both sides will benefit from that. You know, both sides want to play on good cricket wickets, and be challenged. So it certainly is looking that way at this stage."