Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi ignored as Pakistan announce T20I squad vs Sri Lanka

Pakistan have brought back all-rounder Shadab Khan for their upcoming T20I tour of Sri Lanka next month, but senior stars Babar Azam and Shaheen Shah Afridi will remain in Australia to continue their Big Bash League commitments.

The three-match series, starting on January 7, 2026, marks Shadab’s return to international cricket after recovering from shoulder surgery that had ruled him out since June. He recently made his competitive comeback in the BBL, where his performances have stood out compared to other Pakistan players in the league.



Along with Babar and Shaheen, fellow BBL participants Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali and Mohammad Rizwan have also been left out of the squad and will stay on in Australia.

While all of them had informed the Pakistan Cricket Board of their willingness to return if required, the PCB chose not to recall them. This decision follows the board’s prior commitment to Cricket Australia to ensure full availability of Pakistani players for the BBL season, trusting the existing bench strength to handle the Sri Lanka assignment.

The 15-member squad, captained by Salman Ali Agha, is largely predictable. The main talking point is the inclusion of uncapped batter Khawaja Nafay, along with the return of Abdul Samad.

Nafay’s selection has raised eyebrows, especially given his modest domestic record and the importance of the series in the build-up to the T20 World Cup, which will be jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka early next year.

Pakistan are scheduled to play all their World Cup matches in Sri Lanka, and senior players had earlier expressed interest in featuring in this series to familiarize themselves with local conditions. Despite that, the selectors have opted for a relatively fresh group.

Pakistan T20I squad:
Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abdul Samad, Saim Ayub, Sahabzada Farhan, Fakhar Zaman, Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Nawaz, Abrar Ahmed, Usman Tariq, Usman Khan, Khawaja Nafay, Naseem Shah, Salman Mirza, and Mohammad Waseem Jr.