Pakistan Cricket Board announced the squad for Pakistan's tour of Bangladesh, under the supervision of newly nominated chief selector, Haroon Rasheed. One of his initial assignments included "cleaning up" the team, with several boots to fill and injecting young blood that would be able to make their mark in international cricket. The selection process included detailed tour reports from the team management and, of course, input of captains for all three formats.

The tour to Bangladesh is of immense significance as it brings with itself a chance for Pakistani youngsters to prove their mettle and show how well they are able to perform in the absence of senior players. It is certainly very crucial for the newly-appointed captain, Azhar Ali, who has already been skewered by people all over social media. He will be under the spotlight, and would be expected to not only perform consistently with the bat, but to be attacking in nature – unlike his predecessor – and to be able to carry the batting order on his back – a batting order that is notoriously prone to collapses. The tour provides Ali with the opportunity to press the accelerator and improve his strike-rate, to give a performance that questions selectors’ decision to exclude him from the squad, before.

Another important feature of the tour will be some of the old, familiar faces and some new ones, trying to cement their positions in the team. The Pakistan dugout will breathe a sigh of relief in the presence of the highly-experienced Junaid Khan and Saeed Ajmal, who will be tested for the first time in international cricket with his new, revised action. Will he be able to bowl with the same varieties is one question that is bothering every cricket-lover, Pakistani or otherwise. Muhammad Hafeez will provide the batting line-up with stability and the camp with maturity.

Sami Aslam, Babar Azam and Muhammad Rizwan are three key players that have performed considerably well in the domestic circuit for a very long time period now. With countless records to their names, the trio were finally considered worthy of a call-up by the selection committee. Sami Aslam and Babar Azam are prime examples of players making their way into the team by performing at all the required levels of cricket – from U19 cricket to domestic competitions. Criticism has surfaced over the past regarding their batting techniques, lack of maturity and ability to build their innings in pressure situations, but the tour to Bangladesh will provide them with the exposure of international cricket, additional playing time and a much deserved chance against a comparatively weaker opposition. Rizwan's selection, despite Sarfraz already being a part of the team in all three formats, speaks volumes about his batting ability. In him, Pakistan also has a genuine keeper who can take the gloves if Sarfraz suffers an injury.

The series has come at a time when Pakistan are not far ahead of Bangladesh in terms of international rankings and the opposition has had an equally convincing and confident World Cup campaign. Shakib Al Hassan, the captain of the Bangladesh side, has tried to get under the skin of the Pakistan dugout by saying that this is their best chance to finally beat Pakistan. He further went on to call Bangladesh favourites for the tour after an impressive run at the World Cup.

Certainly, tours to Bangladesh are never easy for both cricketing and psychological reasons. Every player will have to chip in and justify his place in the team – it is do or die.