Pakistan name T20I squad for series in Sri Lanka

Tuesday, 30 December 2025 02:27 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Rests senior players ahead of T20 World Cup

Salman Agha will continue as Pakistan’s T20I Captain

Shadab Khan has returned to Pakistan’s T20I squad, while uncapped batter and part-time wicketkeeper Khawaja Nafay has earned a first call-up for the three-match T20I series in Sri Lanka in January.

Salman Agha will continue to lead the side as it takes part in its last set of games in the run up to the T20 World Cup, to be played in February-March in India and Sri Lanka.

While Shaheen Shah Afridi, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Haris Rauf, and Hasan Ali – have been rested, Pakistan have called up several players taking part in the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League (BPL). Nafay, Abrar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Sahibzada Farhan, and Usman Khan are currently playing in the BPL, which clashes with the three-match series. They will leave their respective BPL sides to link up with the squad in Sri Lanka.

Fast bowler Salman Mirza began to establish a first-team slot for himself at the back end of last year, playing most recently in Pakistan’s tri-series final win over Sri Lanka. In the absence of either Afridi or Rauf, he will, alongside Naseem Shah, be the leader of Pakistan’s seam attack in Sri Lanka, likely vying for a fast-bowling slot at the World Cup alongside Mohammad Wasim, Naseem and Rauf.

The three-match series will be played at Dambulla on 7, 9 and 11 January.

PAKISTAN T20I SQUAD FOR SRI LANKA

Salman Agha (Captain), Abdul Samad, Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Nafay (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Salman Mirza, Mohammad Wasim, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan (wk), Saim Ayub, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan (wk), Usman Tariq