Pakistan Cricket Board's Aqib Javed (centre) attends a press conference with T20 team captain Salman Ali Agha (right), and head coach Michael Hesson to announce the squad for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, in Lahore, Pakistan on Sunday (January 25). Photo: AP/PTI
Pakistan pick T20 World Cup squad but tournament participation not confirmed
Salman Ali Agha to lead as selectors pick 15-member team, but final call awaits government approval amid ICC warning and boycott rumours
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Sunday (January 25) announced a 15-member squad for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, to be held in India and Sri Lanka. Salman Ali Agha will lead the side, which includes Babar Azam and Shaheen Shah Afridi, while Haris Rauf and Mohammad Rizwan have been left out.
The announcement comes after the International Cricket Council (ICC) warned the PCB of serious consequences if it withdrew from the tournament. PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi had earlier said Pakistan's participation was subject to government approval. However, the uncertainty hasn't ended with the announcement of the squad.
The ambiguity was underscored by PCB Director of High Performance and national selector Aaqib Javed, who said their role ends with selecting the squad and that the final call rests with the government. In effect, Pakistan have named a team but are still unable to confirm their participation in the tournament.
“Our responsibility as selectors is only to pick the team, which we’ve done just before the deadline. The decision on whether we participate rests with the government, so I can’t comment on that. The chairman has said the same, and we’ll now wait for their call,” Javed said after announcing the squad, as quoted by ESPNCricinfo, indicating that the issue is still unresolved.
The squad
Mohammad Rizwan has been out of Pakistan’s T20I set-up for over a year, having last played the format in 2024. Haris Rauf was dropped following a poor showing in the Asia Cup 2025 final, while Babar retained his place despite a lean run in the Big Bash League (BBL) 2025–26 in Australia.
Also read: T20 World Cup 2026 full schedule, groups, venues, format
The squad features depth in all-rounders, with Faheem Ashraf, Shadab Khan and Mohammad Nawaz providing balance across departments.
Pakistan have been placed in Group A alongside co-hosts and defending champions India, Netherlands, USA and Namibia. The 2009 champions will open their campaign against the Netherlands on February 7 in Colombo.
Boycott rumour
Earlier, the PCB had hinted at a possible boycott after Bangladesh was replaced by Scotland, with Bangladesh declining to travel to India citing security concerns.
Bangladesh had been served an ultimatum by the ICC on Wednesday (January 21) to either agree to travel to India or risk being replaced, as there was no credible threat to the safety of their players, officials, or fans there. The country was given time till Thursday (January 22) to make its decision.
Also read: T20 World Cup row: 'Sad day for cricket, loss for Bangladesh players' | Interview
However, taking a defiant position Bangladesh's sports advisor Asif Nazrul, after a meeting with national team players, announced that the ICC's position was not acceptable to them.
Pakistan 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, Usman Tariq.