Sahibzada Farhan Appointed Pakistan T20 Captain as Naseem Shah Makes Return

Sahibzada Farhan has taken over as Pakistan's Twenty20 cricket captain from Salman Ali Agha, bringing fresh leadership and squad adjustments ahead of the upcoming three-match home series against Sri Lanka. Farhan recently guided Pakistan to a silver-medal finish at the Asian Games, where the team was defeated by India in the final on Sunday [AFP].

The selection committee recalled batter Hasan Nawaz and fast bowler Naseem Shah to the T20 squad. Although Nawaz had been out of favor since November, he impressed in the Asian Games final by scoring 96 runs before getting out on the final ball, resulting in a narrow 19-run defeat for Pakistan. Meanwhile, Shah last featured in the shortest format during the T20 World Cup in February and has also been included in the one-day international squad for the subsequent tri-series featuring Sri Lanka and England.

Rising star Razaullah earned a spot in both the T20 and ODI squads following a strong performance on his Test debut against England last month in Birmingham, though he is yet to make his white-ball debut. While fast bowler Shaheen Afridi was retained as ODI captain—leading a roster that includes Agha and Babar Azam—wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan was omitted due to an ongoing investigation by the National Cyber Crime Investigation Authority. Rizwan was among the seven players recalled to Pakistan after the team lost the second Test to England at Lord’s in August.

For the upcoming fixtures, Khawaja Nafay will serve as the specialist wicketkeeper for the T20s, while Ghazi Ghori, who debuted in England, is the first-choice gloveman for the ODIs. Rawalpindi is set to host the three T20s against Sri Lanka from October 9 to 13, with the tri-series commencing on October 18.

In coaching updates, former Australian fast bowler Shaun Tait was named Pakistan’s bowling coach following a recent stint with the Bangladesh team, under whom Bangladesh secured a 2-0 Test series victory over Pakistan this year. Tait succeeds Ashley Noffke, who accepted a contract with the Netherlands.

Pakistan T20 squad: Sahibzada Farhan (captain), 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, Sufiyan Moqim.

Pakistan ODI squad: Shaheen Shah Afridi (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Salman Ali Agha, Arafat Minhas, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Ghazi Ghori, Haris Rauf, Hasan Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Razaullah, Saad Baig, Saim Ayub, Shadab Khan, Sufiyan Moqim.