Farhan takes charge for Sri Lanka series as Pakistan recall Naseem Shah and hand Razaullah maiden white-ball call-ups
New Delhi, October 2026 : Pakistan have made a significant change to their T20I leadership, replacing Salman Ali Agha with Sahibzada Farhan as captain for the upcoming three-match series against Sri Lanka, beginning Friday in Rawalpindi.
Salman has not only been removed as captain but has also been dropped from the T20I squad altogether. However, he remains part of Pakistan’s ODI plans and has been selected for the upcoming tri-series involving Sri Lanka and England.
The leadership change comes after Pakistan’s recent struggles in the shortest format. The team lost the Asia Cup final to India last year and subsequently failed to reach the semi-finals of the 2026 T20 World Cup. Farhan, meanwhile, recently led Pakistan to a silver medal at the Asian Games, where they lost to India in the final.
The Pakistan selectors have made several changes to the T20I squad compared with the side that featured at the T20 World Cup. Former captain Babar Azam has also been left out of the T20I squad for the Sri Lanka series, while several players who impressed at the Asian Games have earned recalls.
Hasan Nawaz has retained his place after making a strong impact at the Asian Games. He scored 96 against India in the final and has now been rewarded with another opportunity in the T20I setup. Before the Aichi-Nagoya Games, Hasan’s last T20I appearance had come in November 2025.
Asian Games performers Abdul Samad, Maaz Sadaqat, Arafat Minhas and Sufiyan Moqim have also been included after missing out on Pakistan’s 2026 T20 World Cup squad.
Naseem Shah has returned to the T20I side after last featuring for Pakistan in the format during the 2026 T20 World Cup. Razaullah, who emerged as Pakistan’s hero in the third Test against England, has received his maiden white-ball call-up and has been selected in both the T20I and ODI squads.
Shaheen Shah Afridi has been left out of the T20I squad but will continue to lead Pakistan in the ODI tri-series. The 50-over tournament, involving Pakistan, Sri Lanka and England, is scheduled to begin on October 18 in Rawalpindi.
Salman’s inclusion in the ODI squad means his removal from the T20I captaincy does not mark an immediate exit from Pakistan’s limited-overs plans. His experience will remain part of the ODI setup under Shaheen.
The Sri Lanka T20I series will also mark the return of Shaun Tait as Pakistan’s bowling coach. Tait previously held the position from February 2022 for a year and will now return to the coaching setup as Pakistan begin another phase in their T20I campaign.
Pakistan’s T20I squad for the Sri Lanka series includes Sahibzada Farhan as captain, along with Abdul Samad, Abrar Ahmed, Arafat Minhas, Fakhar Zaman, Hasan Nawaz, Muhammad Imran Randhawa, Khawaja Nafay, Maaz Sadaqat, Naseem Shah, Razaullah, Saim Ayub, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Shadab Khan and Sufiyan Moqim.
The ODI squad for the tri-series will be led by Shaheen Shah Afridi and includes Abrar Ahmed, Salman Ali Agha, Arafat Minhas, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Muhammad Ghazi Ghori, Haris Rauf, Hasan Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Razaullah, Saad Baig, Saim Ayub, Shadab Khan and Sufiyan Moqim.
The changes underline Pakistan’s attempt to refresh their T20I setup while retaining several experienced players for the ODI format. With Farhan taking over as captain, the Sri Lanka series will provide the new leadership group an opportunity to establish its approach ahead of Pakistan’s next major T20 assignments.
