25 January,2026 03:46 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Babar Azam (Pic: File Pic)
Ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026, Pakistan named a 15-man squad for the event. Earlier, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Mohsin Naqvi had stated to boycott the marquee event in order to express solidarity with Bangladesh.
Naqvi had suggested pulling out of the tournament after the International Cricket Council (ICC) replaced Bangladesh with Scotland following their refusal to play matches in India, citing security concerns.
Salman Ali Agha is set to lead the "Green Shirts" in the upcoming marquee tournament.
The T20 World Cup 2026 is all set to kick off from February 7 to March 8 and will be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka.
After Bangladesh's removal, Naqvi said that Pakistan's government will take a call on its participation in the mega event. Pakistan will play all of their T20 World Cup 2026 matches in Sri Lanka.
The squad was announced during a press conference addressed by the PCB's High Performance Director and member of the men's national team selection committee, Aqib Javed, Agha, and white-ball head coach Michael James Hesson at the Gaddafi Stadium.
They are placed in Group A of the tournament along with teams such as India, Namibia, the Netherlands, and the United States of America (USA).
Agha-led men will begin their T20 World Cup 2026 campaign by playing a clash against the Netherlands on February 7 at the Sinhalese Sports Club Cricket Ground in Sri Lanka. The high-octane match between arch-rivals, India and Pakistan, is scheduled to be played on February 15 at the R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium in Colombo.
The selectors have included two specialist spinners in the T20 World Cup squad, including Abrar Ahmed and mystery spinner Usman Tariq, who has made limited international appearances for the national side.
Besides Abrar and Usman, the squad features spin all-rounders Mohammad Nawaz, Shadab Khan and Saim Ayub.
Salman Ali Agha (C), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Mohammad Nafay (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan (wk), Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan (wk) and Usman Tariq.
(With PTI Inputs)
