Pakistan has appointed Sahibzada Farhan as its T20I skipper for the forthcoming three-match series against Sri Lanka, succeeding Salman Ali Agha. On October 5, 2026, the Pakistan Cricket Board confirmed the 15-member squad, with Agha not featured in any of the T20I groups.
The three T20Is will be played in Rawalpindi on October 9, 11, and 13, 2026. A separate 16-man ODI team, led by Shaheen Shah Afridi, has also been announced for an ODI tri-series against Sri Lanka and England, which begins on October 18 and culminates with a final at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on October 31. Farhan is not part of the ODI team.
Why has Sahibzada Farhan been named the T20I captain?
Sahibzada Farhan comes into the role following a solid run of form in the shortest format. He scored the most runs in the T20 World Cup 2026, totalling 383 throughout the course of the competition. He also led Pakistan to a silver medal at the Asian Games in 2026, giving him recent international captaincy experience.
Agha captained Pakistan at the T20 World Cup in 2026, but has been left out of the T20I squad entirely for this series. His presence in the ODI team under Afridi shows that the selectors have divided the two forms and decided to alter the T20I leadership.
What is Hasan Nawaz’s position in the squad?
Hasan Nawaz is one of the Asian Games players who has been retained in the T20I squad and has recently performed well. He hit 96 in the Asian Games final versus India, making him one of the tournament’s top batting performers.
Also Read : Ajinkya Rahane Defends Anshul Kamboj and Auqib Nabi After One Performance
Nawaz has also been picked to the ODI team for the tri-series, which would allow him to play in both formats during Pakistan’s busy home schedule in October 2026.
Pakistan’s whole team for the T20I series against Sri Lanka
Sahibzada Farhan (c), Abdul Samad, Abrar Ahmed, Arafat Minhas, Fakhar Zaman, Hasan Nawaz, Khawaja Nafay (wk), Maaz Sadaqat, Muhammad Salman Mirza, Muhammad Imran Randhawa, Naseem Shah, Razaullah, Saim Ayub, Shadab Khan, and Sufiyan Moqim.
Pakistan’s Full Squad for ODI Series versus Sri Lanka
Shaheen Shah Afridi (c), Abrar Ahmed, Arafat Minhas, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Nawaz, Muhammad Ghazi Ghori (wk), Naseem Shah, Razaullah, Saad Baig (wk), Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shadab Khan, Sufiyan Moqim
