Cricket latest
The Pakistan Cricket Board on Friday announced a 16-member squad for the upcoming three-match T20I series against the Australia national cricket team, set to begin on January 29 at the Gaddafi Stadium. All-rounder Salman Ali Agha will continue to lead the side as Pakistan fine-tune preparations for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, which starts on February 7.
The headline development is the return of former captains Babar Azam and Shaheen Shah Afridi, both of whom missed Pakistan’s recent away T20I series against Sri Lanka in January.
Babar comes back into the squad after a difficult Big Bash League season, where he managed 202 runs in 11 matches at a strike rate of 103.06. The right-hander left his BBL franchise before the playoffs to link up with the national team and will be hoping that home conditions help him rediscover form and confidence.
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Pakistan’s batting unit looks formidable on paper, featuring in-form players such as Fakhar Zaman, Saim Ayub, and Sahibzada Farhan. However, wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan has once again been left out, leaving his future in the T20I setup uncertain.
In the bowling department, Shadab Khan will continue his comeback following the previous T20I series and will be part of a strong spin attack that includes Abrar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, and Usman Tariq. The pace unit will be led by Shaheen Afridi, alongside Naseem Shah and Mohammad Wasim Jr.
Notably absent from the squad is Pakistan’s premier T20I pacer Haris Rauf, despite his impressive run in the ongoing Big Bash League, where he has taken 20 wickets in just 11 matches and currently tops the wicket-taking charts.
Cricket latest Pakistan squad for Australia T20Is:
Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Mohammad Nafay (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan (wk), Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan (wk), Usman Tariq.
Pakistan will begin their T20 World Cup 2026 campaign on February 7 against the Netherlands, with all their group-stage matches scheduled to be played in Colombo.
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