LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board on Sunday announced a 15-member squad for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, which is scheduled to begin on February 7.
Pacer Haris Rauf, who last represented Pakistan in the shortest format in September last year, could not make the squad.
The squad was unveiled at a press conference addressed by PCB High Performance Director and National Men’s Selection Committee Member Aqib Javed, Pakistan T20I Captain Salman Ali Agha and White Ball Head Coach Michael Hesson at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore.
Skippers Salman Agha, Faheem Ashraf, Khawaja Nafay, Salman Mirza and Usman Tariq have received their first call-ups for a mega-event.
Meanwhile, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan and Usman Khan have participated in one or more editions of the tournament since 2021.
Mohammad Rizwan, who has been sidelined from the national T20 team since December 2024, will miss his maiden T20 World Cup after featuring in three editions in 2021, 2022 and 2024.
The 2009 champions will play all their matches in Sri Lanka under the ‘Fusion Formula’, which stipulates that Pakistan and India will not visit each other for any ICC tournament for three years and will instead play their respective matches at a neutral venue.
If Pakistan progresses to the semi-finals and the final, both knockout matches will take place in Colombo. Otherwise, the semi-finals and final will be held in Kolkata and Ahmedabad respectively.
When asked about Rauf and his performance in the Big Bash League (BBL), Javed said the pacer had served Pakistan for a long time but in the last few matches a different combination was chosen.
“We are playing our matches in Sri Lanka and we have finalized the squad based on the conditions there,” he added.
On Babar’s inclusion, PCB’s director of high performance said, “He is definitely the most consistent batsman” and has a specific role in the team.
“During the last Asian Cup, we felt that the team needed a player who can play in difficult situations. It’s a specific role, especially given the conditions in Sri Lanka,” he explained.
It is pertinent to mention that the green shirts will begin their World Cup campaign against Netherlands on February 7 in Colombo.
Pakistan have been placed in Group A alongside India, USA, Netherlands and Namibia and will play all their matches in Sri Lanka.
They will then face the United States on February 10, India on February 15 and Namibia on February 18 in their final match of the group stage.
For those who are not in the know, the Super Eight round is scheduled to begin on February 21 in Colombo and conclude on March 1 in Kolkata.
The first semi-final will take place on March 3, the second on March 5, with the grand final scheduled for March 8 in Ahmedabad or Colombo.
Team
Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Mohammad Nafay (week), Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan (week), Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan (week) and Usman Tariq.
