Published on: Oct 6, 2026 11:51 am IST|Updated on: Oct 6, 2026 11:51 am IST
Pakistan cricket captaincy continues to be in flux, as the selection committee has announced a new skipper for the shortest format of the game. The selectors have dropped the former T20I skipper Salman Ali Agha from the squad for the home series against Sri Lanka and appointed opening batter Sahibzada Farhan as the new T20I skipper.
Farhan takes over the leadership reins from all-rounder Salman Ali Agha, who was stripped of the captaincy and dropped completely from the T20I squad following a string of inconsistent performances in recent major tournaments.
The 28-year-old has been rewarded with a full-time T20I captaincy on the back of impressive batting form in the format over the past year or so. He stood out as Pakistan’s top run-scorer during the T20 World Cup earlier in the year and recently captained the national side to a silver medal at the 2026 Asian Games.
Farhan is seen as a future prospect for Pakistan cricket, particularly in the T20I format. He may not be the most aggressive opener in world cricket, but he possesses the ability to score runs in crunch situations.
Seems like Pakistan’s T20I squad has undergone a restoration, with the major move being the axing of former skipper Salman Ali Agha. Under Ali Agha’s captaincy, Pakistan failed to deliver impactful performances, including the Asia Cup 2025 and the ICC T20 World Cup 2026.
Besides Ali Agha’s exclusion, the PCB has also omitted senior stalwarts like Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, and Shaheen Shah Afridi to give opportunities to youngsters who have been doing pretty well in the domestic circuit. Wicketkeeper-batter Usman Khan has also been omitted following an unsatisfactory outing with the bat during the Asian Games final.
Fast-bowling spearhead Naseem Shah returns to the T20I setup, while Test sensation Razaullah, who impressed one and all with 9 sixes batting lower down the order in the final Test against England, has earned his maiden call-up to the T20I squad. Also, right-arm pacer Mohammad Imran Randhawa has also earned a maiden call-up to the T20I squad.
Check the complete squad for the T20I home series against Sri Lanka.
Sahibzada Farhan (c), Abdul Samad, Abrar Ahmed, Arafat Minhas, Fakhar Zaman, Hasan Nawaz, Khawaja Nafay (wk), Maaz Sadaqat, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Muhammad Imran Randhawa, Naseem Shah, Razaullah, Saim Ayub, Shadab Khan, Sufiyan Moqim.
The three-match T20I series is set to kick off on October 9, followed by games on October 11 and 13. All three games will take place at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi.