The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced a major leadership overhaul in its white-ball setup, appointing opening batter Sahibzada Farhan as the national T20I captain.
Farhan takes over the reins from Salman Ali Agha, who was relieved of his captaincy duties and dropped from the T20I squad entirely following underwhelming performances in major tournaments.
The board announced the squads for the upcoming home T20I series against Sri Lanka and a subsequent seven-match ODI tri-series featuring England and Sri Lanka.
Major Selection Changes and T20I Restructuring
Farhan’s elevation to the leadership role comes on the back of his impressive performance leading Pakistan at the Asian Games, where his side secured the silver medal. While Shaheen Shah Afridi continues to captain the ODI team, he, along with former captain Babar Azam and pacer Haris Rauf, has been omitted from the T20I squad to make way for fresh talent.
Key squad highlights include:
- Maiden White-Ball Call-Ups: Test breakout star Razaullah—who impressed with nine sixes in the third Test against England—earned his first white-ball call-up for both formats. Uncapped Muhammad Imran Randhawa was also named in the T20I squad.
- Wicketkeeping Shift: Wicketkeeper-batter Usman Khan was dropped from the T20I setup following an unsatisfactory outing in the Asian Games final, with Khawaja Nafay named as the specialist T20I gloveman.
- Coaching Staff Return: Former Australian fast bowler Shaun Tait has returned as the national team’s bowling coach.
The three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka will be played entirely at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium starting October 9. Following the T20Is, Pakistan will host the ODI tri-series against England and Sri Lanka, with matches split between Rawalpindi and Lahore.
