Sahibzada Farhan To Lead Pakistan T20I Squad

Sahibzada Farhan has been named Pakistan’s captain for the three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka, while Shaheen Shah Afridi will continue as ODI captain for the following tri-series involving England and Sri Lanka, the Pakistan Cricket Board announced on Monday.

The T20I series against Sri Lanka will be played at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on October 9, 11 and 13. After that, Pakistan will host England and Sri Lanka in a seven-match ODI tri-series, with the first three fixtures scheduled in Rawalpindi before the tournament moves to Lahore for the remaining league matches and final.

Farhan’s appointment marks a significant leadership move for Pakistan’s shortest-format side. He recently captained Pakistan at the Asian Games in Japan and now takes over the T20I role from Salman Ali Agha, who has been left out of the squad for the Sri Lanka series. Salman, however, remains part of the ODI squad.

The T20I squad does not include Babar Azam or Shaheen Afridi, with both retained for the ODI assignment. The selectors have instead opted for a mix of fresh names and established players, including uncapped all-rounders Razaullah and Mohammad Imran Randhawa.

Razaullah has earned attention after a strong Test debut against England, where he scored 81 runs off 63 balls with nine sixes and also took four wickets. Randhawa, who also made his Test debut during the England series, has been included as a medium-pace bowling all-rounder.

Maaz Sadaqat has kept his place after featuring prominently in Pakistan’s Asian Games campaign, while Abdul Samad returns to the T20I setup after last representing Pakistan in the format in March 2025. Hasan Nawaz has also been rewarded for his Asian Games performances, where he finished as Pakistan’s leading batter and the tournament’s highest run-scorer.

Fast bowler Naseem Shah returns to the T20I squad after last playing the format for Pakistan against Sri Lanka in February 2026. Shadab Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Saim Ayub and Abrar Ahmed are among the more established names included for the short-format series.

The ODI squad under Shaheen carries a more experienced core, with Babar, Salman, Haris Rauf and Faheem Ashraf included. Hasan Nawaz and Razaullah also return in the ODI setup, while wicketkeeper-batter Saad Baig has received his maiden ODI call-up after scoring more than 1,000 runs in the 2025-26 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy.

The board also announced a change in the coaching staff, with former Australia fast bowler Shaun Tait returning as bowling coach in a consultancy role. Tait previously worked with Pakistan during 2022-23 and replaces Ashley Noffke, who stepped down after the Asian Games to take up the head coach position with the Netherlands.