Pakistan Squad For Asian Games 2026: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced a new 15-member men’s squad for the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, in a move that signals a structural overhaul. The Men in Green will be led by dynamic opening batter Sahibzada Farhan who has been handed the captaincy responsibilities, while explosive lower-order batter Abdul Samad will be his deputy.
No Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi
The squad announcement is an obvious ideological change to youth after recent tournament disappointments. White-ball stalwarts have been left out completely, including former captain Babar Azam, premier fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi, all-rounder Shadab Khan and regular T20I skipper Salman Ali Agha. Instead, selectors are using the continental multi-sport event to test bench strength and blood the next generation of international talent.
Fresh Faces and Senior Experience
The 30-year-old Farhan enters the tournament with the wind of form at his back, fresh off a stellar T20 World Cup campaign where he finished as the tournament’s leading run-scorer. He has played 46 T20Is but this will be his first time as an international captain at the Asian Games. Vice-captain Abdul Samad (5 T20I caps) is back in the shortest format for the first time since March last year after a recent run-out with the ODI squad in Australia.
The squad has a developmental focus and includes four uncapped players who are yet to make their official T20I debuts for Pakistan: left-arm pacer Akif Javed, young speedster Ali Raza, all-rounder Maaz Sadaqat and top-order batter Saad Masood. Swashbuckling batter Usman Khan is the first choice wicketkeeper. The 15 players selected will be part of the group that will assemble at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) white-ball conditioning camp in Lahore from June 15 for optimum preparation.
Cricket has been part of the Asian Games on three occasions (2010, 2014 and 2022). Pakistan had a poor run in the 2022 edition in Hangzhou, finishing a disappointing fourth after winning just one game and losing two.
The much-anticipated men’s T20I cricket tournament will be held from 24 September at the Korogi Athletic Park, culminating with the medal matches on 3 October 2026.
Pakistan Squad: Sahibzada Farhan (c), Abdul Samad (vc), Abrar Ahmed, Ahmed Daniyal, Akif Javed, Ali Raza, Arafat Minhas, Haider Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Maaz Sadaqat, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Saad Masood, Saim Ayub, Sufyan Moqim and Usman Khan (wk)
Debayan Bhattacharyya is a seasoned sports journalist and digital media professional, currently serving as the Chief Sub Editor at ITV Digital (NewsX). A true Football-Fanatic Bong, his professional journey began at Zee Media, where he kicked off his career as a Sub-Editor for the sports team at India.com and CricketCountry. His ability to blend insightful analysis with rapid-fire news delivery soon led him to Times Network, where he served as a Senior Copy Editor for Times Now. Before his current role at NewsX, Debayan spent a significant tenure at OneIndia’s MyKhel as a Senior Sub Editor.
