Lahore’s cricket fraternity celebrates the reveal of Pakistan’s squad for the Australia T20I series (January 29-February 1), with Salman Ali Agha entrusted as captain. This series serves as a crucial testing ground pre-T20 World Cup 2026.
The narrative steals back Babar Azam and Shaheen Shah Afridi, absent from the Sri Lanka tour. Babar, grappling in BBL with 202 runs over 11 innings, prioritizes Pakistan by leaving his franchise before playoffs.
Batting firepower assembles with Fakhar Zaman, Saim Ayub, and Sahibzada Farhan in the mix, though Mohammad Rizwan’s absence fuels selection scrutiny. All-round depth adds intrigue.
Shadab Khan spearheads spin with Abrar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, and Usman Tariq. The express pace of Shaheen, Naseem Shah, and Mohammad Wasim Jr. promises to dismantle Australia’s lineup.
Haris Rauf’s exclusion, after a stellar BBL (20 wickets in 11), highlights rotation tactics. Pakistan’s World Cup journey begins February 7 against Netherlands, confined to Colombo for group stages.
Squad lineup: Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khwaja Mohammad Nafay (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Mohammad Wasim Jr., Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan (wk), Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan (wk), Usman Tariq.