Sahibzada Farhan finally made his One-Day International debut for Pakistan on March 11, 2026, against Bangladesh in Mirpur, nearly seven years after his first appearance in international cricket.
Farhan had originally debuted for Pakistan in the T20I format on July 8, 2018, against Australia, making his ODI appearance 7 years and 246 days after that match.
The opening batter was one of four players handed their ODI caps in the fixture, alongside Maaz Sadaqat, Shamyl Hussain and Abdul Samad. Pakistan fielding four debutants in an ODI marked only the second such occurrence since the 1980s.
The quartet formed part of a refreshed lineup for the series opener, with the management testing new combinations following recent squad changes. Abrar Ahmed was selected as the only specialist spinner in the side. Farhan opened the innings alongside fellow debutant Maaz Sadaqat, marking the beginning of Pakistan's revamped top order in the match.
Bangladesh opt to field first
Bangladesh captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz won the toss and elected to field first at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur. The decision placed Pakistan's new-look batting order under early scrutiny. The hosts opted for a three-pronged pace attack, naming Nahid Rana alongside Taskin Ahmed and Mustafizur Rahman. Bangladesh also made adjustments to their batting lineup, with Tanzid Hasan replacing Soumya Sarkar.
Litton Das and Afif Hossain were positioned in the middle order for the home side, while Mehidy Hasan Miraz led the team as captain.
Pakistan's lineup featured a mixture of newcomers and established players, including Mohammad Rizwan, Salman Agha, Hussain Talat, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Mohammad Wasim. The match marked the start of Pakistan's ODI series in Bangladesh. This is the first ODI is part of a three-match series, with the remaining matches scheduled to be played on March 13 and March 15 at the same venue.
World Cup performance pushed Farhan into Pakistan's ODI plans
Farhan's inclusion in the ODI side followed a prolific run during the 2026 T20 World Cup, where he finished as the tournament's highest run-scorer. The right-hander accumulated 383 runs in seven matches, setting a record for the most runs in a single edition of the tournament.
He also became the first player to score two centuries in one T20 World Cup campaign, reaching the milestone against Namibia and Sri Lanka. The Pakistan team management had previously indicated that strong performances in white-ball formats would be rewarded with opportunities at the international level.
Despite the anticipation surrounding his long-awaited ODI debut, Farhan's innings was brief. Opening the batting, he scored a cautious 27 runs off 38 before being dismissed by Nahid Rana.