LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced the 15-member squad for the ICC T20 World Cup 2026, with some notable players missing from the lineup.
Pakistan’s head coach Aqib Javed, along with coach Mike Hesson and captain Salman Ali Agha, revealed the squad in a press conference.
Salman Ali Agha will lead the team in the mega-event, and all-rounder Shadab Khan makes a return after a long hiatus. Pace bowler Haris Rauf and former captain and wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Rizwan were not selected, as they failed to secure the team management’s confidence.
Head coach Aqib Javed explained that the squad was selected considering the conditions in Sri Lanka. He highlighted that Babar Azam could play a crucial role given the local conditions.
Javed emphasized that selections for Test, ODI, and T20 cricket cannot be the same, as the formats are very different. He added that no experiments were made for the World Cup; the squad consists of players who have been performing consistently.
He also praised Salman Ali Agha, noting that the captain is a senior player who has been performing well over the last four to five years.
Captain Salman Ali Agha stated that the World Cup will be challenging but the team is ready. He noted that Pakistan’s performance in previous tournaments has not been strong and stressed that high-scoring matches are rare in Sri Lanka, so good cricket will be needed to win the tournament.
PT20 World Cup Squad
Salman Ali Agha (Captain), Sahibzada Farhan, Saeem Ayub, Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Nawaz, Abrar Ahmed, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Khawaja Nafees, Salman Mirza, Usman Tariq, and Usman Khan.
The ICC T20 World Cup 2026 will be held from February 7 to March 8, jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka.
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