Pakistan Cricket Board announced its 15-member squad for the T20 World Cup 2026 on Sunday despite uncertainty over whether the team will actually play in the tournament. The PCB named Salman Ali Agha as captain while Babar Azam returned after getting dropped from the 2025 Asia Cup squad.
The announcement came at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore with PCB Director Aqib Javed, captain Salman Ali Agha, and head coach Mike Hesson present. Pakistan’s participation remains in doubt because the board supports Bangladesh’s stance against playing matches in India.
PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi told the players that the final call on playing the World Cup will come from the Pakistan government. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif needs to make a decision after he returns from abroad. The ICC warned that sanctions could follow if Pakistan pulls out of the tournament.
Squad Changes and Captaincy
Salman Ali Agha got picked to lead Pakistan in his first major ICC event. The PCB chose him over Babar Azam and Shaheen Shah Afridi for the captaincy role. Both Babar and Shaheen are back in the squad after their own issues in recent months.
Mohammad Rizwan and Haris Rauf missed selection despite being key players in Pakistan’s T20 setup. Rizwan’s absence shocked many as he had been a regular in the team. The selectors went with three wicketkeepers instead: Usman Khan, Khawaja Mohammad Nafay, and Sahibzada Farhan.
Shaheen Shah Afridi returned from injury to take his place in the pace attack. Naseem Shah also got selected along with Faheem Ashraf. The spin department has Abrar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, and Usman Tariq.
Five players will make their ICC mega-event debuts if Pakistan plays. Faheem Ashraf, Khawaja Mohammad Nafay, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Sahibzada Farhan, and Usman Tariq all got their first World Cup call-ups. The selectors clearly wanted fresh faces alongside experienced campaigners.
Tournament Details and Preparation
The World Cup runs from February 7 to March 8 with 20 teams taking part. Pakistan sits in Group A with India, the Netherlands, the USA, and Namibia. All of Pakistan’s group matches will be played in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Pakistan open against the Netherlands on February 7 in their first game. They face the United States on February 10 before the big clash with India on February 15. The group stage ends with a match against Namibia on February 18.
The team has a three-match series against Australia starting January 29 at Gaddafi Stadium. The matches on January 29, 31, and February 1 will help Pakistan prepare before leaving for the World Cup. A training camp is already running in Lahore to get the players ready.
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Political Standoff Continues
The PCB accused the ICC of having double standards after Bangladesh was replaced by Scotland. Bangladesh refused to travel to India for their World Cup matches, citing security fears. The ICC rejected their request to move games to another venue and brought in Scotland instead.
Mohsin Naqvi criticized this decision and said Pakistan stands with Bangladesh. He mentioned that the government will decide whether Pakistan should boycott the tournament in solidarity. This echoes a similar situation during the 2025 Asia Cup when Pakistan threatened to withdraw over a referee issue before playing after getting an apology.
The ICC made it clear that pulling out would bring sanctions against the PCB. The World Body said no credible security threat exists in India, and changing venues this close to the tournament cannot happen. Pakistan now waits for its government to make the final call.
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