PAKISTAN captain Salman Agha said his side is building well for next year’s World Cup as they prepare to face Bangladesh in a three-match T20 series starting in Dhaka on Sunday.
Agha has been leading the T20 side in the absence of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, who have not played since last year.
Shaheen Shah Afridi has been rested for the series, while Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah and Mohammad Wasim are unavailable due to injuries.
Agha said the sidelined players could still be in contention for the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka next year.
"We have changed the way we want to play but we are confident of our build-up and direction," Agha said on Saturday.
"We are going for this series with ample preparations as Bangladesh can be a challenging team in their home conditions."
Mike Hesson of New Zealand is Pakistan’s new white-ball coach. His first assignment was a 3-0 home series win over Bangladesh last month.
With Shadab Khan also out due to injury, Pakistan have included two uncapped fast bowlers – Salman Mirza and Ahmed Daniyal – in the squad.
Bangladesh won their most recent T20 series 2-1 in Sri Lanka last week.
"What happened in Sri Lanka is in the past," said Bangladesh captain Litton Das.
"We have to face a new challenge starting tomorrow. We are ready for this challenge.
"We have the mentality to beat any team, but we have to play well on the particular day and not entirely bank on home conditions."
Bangladesh have retained the same squad from the Sri Lanka tour.
The second and third matches will be played on Tuesday and Thursday, also in Dhaka.
(With inputs from agencies)
