Babar, Shaheen return as PCB names T20I World Cup 2026 squad

15-member squad includes six players who have received their maiden mega-event call-ups, pacer Haris Rauf left out

LAHORE:

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Sunday announced the 15-member squad for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, to be jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka, recalling former captain Babar Azam and fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi while omitting pacer Haris Rauf.

The squad was unveiled during a press conference at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, which was addressed by PCB Director High Performance and member of the men’s national selection committee Aqib Javed, alongside Pakistan T20I captain Salman Ali Agha and white-ball head coach Michael James Hesson.

Road to 🏆 2026 begins!

🇵🇰 Squad unveiled for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 🌍

Read More 👉🏻 https://t.co/iooMXUS5g6#BackTheBoysInGreen #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/VOSkvs05MC

— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) January 25, 2026

Skipper Salman Ali Agha, Faheem Ashraf, Khawaja Mohammad Nafay, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Sahibzada Farhan and Usman Tariq have all received their first call-ups to represent Pakistan at a major tournament.

The squad also includes nine players with previous World Cup experience; Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan and Usman Khan, all of whom have featured in at least one edition of the tournament since 2021.

In the 20-team tournament, each side will play four group games before progressing to the Super Eight and knockout stages. The competition runs from February 7 to March 8.

Read: PCB unveils schedule for Pakistan, Australia T20I series

Placed in Group A, Pakistan will begin their World Cup preparations with a three-match T20I series against Australia at the Gaddafi Stadium on January 29, 31 and February 1. The preparation camp commenced on Sunday.

The team will then face the Netherlands in their opening match on February 7 in Colombo.

The final squad includes Captain Salman Ali Agha, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Mohammad Nafay, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan, and Usman Tariq.

The cricket tournament will run without Bangladesh’s participation. The team has been replaced with Scotland, which will take Bangladesh’s spot in Group C, the ICC announced on Saturday.

The decision came after the ICC rejected the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s request to move its matches from India to Sri Lanka, citing the absence of any credible or verifiable security threat to the Bangladesh team in India.

Read More: Naqvi says Bangladesh treated ‘unfairly’ by ICC over India dispute

After the announcement, Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi criticised what he described as the unfair treatment of Bangladesh, saying no country should be allowed to dictate terms to another in international cricket.

Naqvi, who also serves as Chairman of the PCB, said he had raised Pakistan’s concerns directly at ICC forums, urging the world governing body to treat all member nations equally.