PCB announces 15-member squad for T20 World Cup 2026

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board on Sunday announced a 15-member squad for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, scheduled to begin on February 7.

Fast bowler Haris Rauf, who last played a T20I for Pakistan in September last year, has been omitted from the squad. Mohammad Rizwan will also miss his first T20 World Cup after featuring in the 2021, 2022 and 2024 editions.

The squad was unveiled during a press conference at the Gaddafi Stadium, addressed by PCB Director High Performance and national selection committee member Aqib Javed, T20I captain Salman Ali Agha and white-ball head coach Michael Hesson.

Salman Agha, Faheem Ashraf, Khawaja Nafay, Salman Mirza and Usman Tariq have earned their maiden call-ups for a mega ICC event. Meanwhile, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan and Usman Khan have previously featured in the tournament since 2021.

Pakistan will play all of their matches in Sri Lanka under the ‘Fusion Formula’, under which Pakistan and India will not tour each other for ICC events for three years and will play at neutral venues instead. If Pakistan qualify for the semi-finals and final, both matches will be hosted in Colombo; otherwise, the knockouts will be played in Kolkata and Ahmedabad.

Explaining Rauf’s exclusion, Aqib Javed said that while the pacer had served Pakistan for a long time, a different combination was selected keeping Sri Lankan conditions in mind.

On Babar Azam’s inclusion, he said the batter remains the most consistent player and has a clearly defined role, especially for challenging conditions similar to those in Sri Lanka.

Commenting on Rizwan’s omission, Michael Hesson said the team management was looking for a wicketkeeper who could bat in the middle or lower-middle order, adding that Rizwan is primarily a top-order batter.

Hesson also praised Usman Khan, terming his recent performances exceptional, particularly his wicketkeeping in Sri Lanka.

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Pakistan will begin their World Cup campaign against the Netherlands on February 7 in Colombo. Placed in Group A, Pakistan will also face the USA on February 10, India on February 15 and Namibia on February 18.

The Super Eight stage will run from February 21 to March 1, followed by semi-finals on March 3 and March 5. The final is scheduled for March 8 in either Ahmedabad or Colombo.

Squad:
Salman Ali Agha (captain), 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), Usman Tariq.