Pakistan on Wednesday named a largely inexperienced 15-member squad for the men’s T20 cricket competition at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, with opener Sahibzada Farhan appointed captain.
The squad does not include any of Pakistan’s established senior stars, with Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf and Shadab Khan all omitted from selection.
Farhan will lead Pakistan in an international tournament for the first time, while Abdul Samad, who has played five T20 Internationals, was named vice-captain.
Among the notable inclusions are Abrar Ahmed, Usman Khan and Saim Ayub, the only players in the squad with significant recent international exposure.
Four members of the squad—Akif Javed, Ali Raza, Maaz Sadaqat and Saad Masood—are yet to make their T20I debuts.
The Asian Games will be held from September 19 to October 4 in Aichi-Nagoya, with the 10-team men’s T20 tournament scheduled from September 24 to October 3 at Korogi Athletic Park in Aichi Prefecture.
The tournament could serve as a route to qualification for cricket’s appearance at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Fourteen of the 15 players selected are also part of the National Cricket Academy’s white-ball camp, which begins in Lahore on June 15.
Pakistan squad: Sahibzada Farhan (captain), Abdul Samad (vice-captain), 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 (wicketkeeper).
Support staff: Mike Hesson (head coach), Ashley Noffke (bowling coach), Shane McDermott (fielding coach), Muhammad Tahir (physiotherapist), Imran Ullah (trainer) and Usman Hashmi (analyst).
Sahibzada Farhan to lead Pakistan at Asian Games 2026; check full team
