Sahibzada Farhan named Pakistan T20I captain for Sri Lanka series as Salman and Babar dropped

Sahibzada Farhan is set to captain Pakistan's T20I team in the much-anticipated series against Sri Lanka beginning October 9. The three matches will be hosted at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium over consecutive days. Notably, former captain Salman Ali Agha has been omitted from the T20I setup but will retain his place in the ODI lineup, where Shaheen Shah Afridi will continue leading the team during the upcoming trilateral series.

Sahibzada Farhan is set to captain Pakistan's T20I team in the much-anticipated series against Sri Lanka beginning October 9. The three matches will be hosted at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium over consecutive days. Notably, former captain Salman Ali Agha has been omitted from the T20I setup but will retain his place in the ODI lineup, where Shaheen Shah Afridi will continue leading the team during the upcoming trilateral series.

Sahibzada Farhan will lead Pakistan in the three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka, while Shaheen Shah Afridi has retained the ODI captaincy for the subsequent tri-series involving England and Sri Lanka, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced on Monday. The T20Is will be played at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Oct 9, 11 and 13 before Pakistan host England and Sri Lanka in a seven-match ODI tri-series. The first three matches of the tri-series will be played in Rawalpindi, with the tournament then moving to Lahore for the remaining league matches and the final. Farhan, who captained Pakistan at the recently concluded Asian Games in Japan, takes over the T20I captaincy from Salman Ali Agha, who has been omitted from the shortest format. Salman, however, remains part of the ODI squad. The T20I squad also does not include Babar Azam and Shaheen, with the two retained for the ODI assignment. The 15-member squad includes uncapped all-rounders Razaullah and Mohammad Imran Randhawa. Razaullah recently made an impact on his Test debut against England, scoring 81 off 63 balls with nine sixes and taking four wickets. Randhawa, who also made his Test debut during the England series, has been included as a medium-pace bowling all-rounder. Maaz Sadaqat has retained his place after featuring prominently Pakistan’s Asian Games campaign, while Abdul Samad returns to the T20I side after last representing Pakistan in the format in March 2025. Hasan Nawaz has also been rewarded for his performances at the Asian Games, where he was Pakistan’s leading batter and finished the tournament as its highest run-scorer with 123 runs. He made 96 off 51 balls, including five fours and seven sixes, in Pakistan’s defeat by India in the final as the team settled for the silver medal. Fast bowler Naseem Shah returns to the T20I squad after last playing the format for Pakistan against Sri Lanka in February 2026. Shadab Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Saim Ayub and Abrar Ahmed are among the other established players in the squad. The 16-member ODI squad, meanwhile, retains a more experienced core under Shaheen, with Babar, Salman, Haris Rauf and Faheem Ashraf included. Hasan also returns to the ODI setup, and so does Razaullah. Wicket-keeper-batter Saad Baig, the former Pakistan Under-19 captain who scored more than 1,000 runs in the 2025-26 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, has earned his maiden ODI call-up. Left-arm wrist-spinner Sufiyan Moqim is the other notable addition, while Mohammad Ghazi Ghori is also included as a wicket-keeper-batter. The PCB also announced a change to the coaching staff, with former Australia fast bowler Shaun Tait returning as bowling coach in a consultancy capacity. Tait previously served as Pakistan’s bowling coach during 2022-23 and will replace Ashley Noffke, who stepped down following the Asian Games to take up the head coach’s position with the Netherlands.

Sahibzada Farhan will lead Pakistan in the three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka, while Babar Azam has been retained for the ODI tri-series; Shaun Tait named bowling coachPakistan have made major changes to their T20I squad ahead of the three-match series against Sri Lanka as the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) apppointed Sahibzada Farhan as captain and left Salman Ali Agha out of the squad. Former captain Babar Azam has also been dropped from the T20I side, although he has retained his place in the ODI squad.Farhan will lead Pakistan in the three T20Is against Sri Lanka at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on October 9, 11 and 13. The appointment comes after he led Pakistan at the recently concluded Asian Games 2026, where they secured silver medal after losing against India in the final.Salman Ali Agha has been left out after being removed as Pakistan T20I captain. His exclusion is one of the biggest changes in the squad as the selectors are opting for a fresh leadership group in the shortest format.Babar Azam has also missed out on the T20I squad. However, the star batter continues to be part of Pakistan ODI plans and has been included in the squad for the upcoming tri-series involving Pakistan, England and Sri Lanka.The T20I squad also includes Fakhar Zaman, Saim Ayub, Shadab Khan, Naseem Shah and Abrar Ahmed. Razaullah, who impressed with the bat during the third Test against England, has received his maiden white-ball call-up, while Mohammad Imran Randhawa has earned his first T20I selection.The PCB has also made a change to the coaching staff with Shaun Tait appointed as the new bowling coach. Mike Hesson will continue as head coach, while Michael Smith and Mansoor Amjad will serve as batting and fielding coaches respectively.Meanwhile, Shaheen Shah Afridi will continue to lead Pakistan in ODIs. The ODI squad includes Babar, Salman Ali Agha, Fakhar Zaman, Saim Ayub, Shadab Khan, Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah.Pakistan's T20I series against Sri Lanka will be followed by a seven-match ODI tri-series featuring Pakistan, England and Sri Lanka. The first three matches will be played in Rawalpindi, while the remaining league matches and the final will take place in Lahore.'Improve Strike Rate': Pakistan T20I Captain Sahibzada Farhan Reveals Kane Williamson's Advice Ahead Of Asian GamesPakistan T20I squadSahibzada Farhan (C), Abdul Samad, Abrar Ahmed, Arafat Minhas, Fakhar Zaman, Hasan Nawaz, Muhammad Imran Randhawa, Khawaja Nafay (WK), Maaz Sadaqat, Naseem Shah, Razaullah, Saim Ayub, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Shadab Khan, Sufiyan Moqim.Pakistan ODI squadShaheen Shah Afridi (C), Abrar Ahmed, Salman Ali Agha, Arafat Minhas, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Muhammad Ghazi Ghori (WK), Haris Rauf, Hasan Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Razaullah, Saad Baig (WK), Saim Ayub, Shadab Khan, Sufiyan Moqim.The first T20I between Pakistan and Sri Lanka will be played in Rawalpindi on October 9, with the second and third matches scheduled for October 11 and 13 at the same venue.