PAK vs BAN | Haris Rauf earns maiden call-up for Bangladesh T20Is

Two back to back whitewashes in T20Is has sprung the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) into action as they gear up to face Bangladesh for a three-match T20 rubber. The management has made drastic changes to the side, dropping as many as seven players - Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Amir, Asif Ali, Haris Sohail, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Irfan and Wahab Riaz - who toured Australia in late 2019. 

The changes include call-ups for veterans Mohammad Hafeez and Shoaib Malik along with four uncapped players, which include Ahsan Ali, Amad Butt and BBL star Haris Rauf, something chief selector Misbah ul Haq hinted after the shameful 3-0 loss to Sri Lanka at home.

Misbah believes that the experience of Hafeez and Malik, who've played a total of 200 T20Is between them, will help the governing body to groom the youngsters. The chief selector had earlier expressed his disappointment over the performance of some senior players and had shared his plan to let youngsters take charge.

"We have lost eight of our last nine T20Is and as the number-one ranked side, this is unacceptable," Misbah was quoted by Cricbuzz as saying so. "We need to end our losing cycle and get back to winning habits leading into the upcoming Asia Cup and ICC T20 World Cup. This has played a critical role in our decision-making.

"We tried our alternate combinations in the series against Sri Lanka and Australia, and obviously, these didn't work the way we had expected. Hafeez and Shoaib bring a total of 200 T20Is between them and if you mix these with the other youngsters we have in the side, then I think it becomes a good blend of experience and youth."

Ahsan scored 131 runs across five matches in the National T20 Cup in Faisalabad in October, striking at around 150. Rauf is currently in red-hot form representing the Melbourne Stars and is the second leading wicket-taker in the Big Bash League with 16 scalps to his name.