Pakistan Name Farhan T20I Captain, Shaheen Afridi to Continue Leading ODI Side
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced separate captains for the upcoming white-ball assignments against Sri Lanka and England. Sahibzada Farhan will lead the national team in the three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka, while Shaheen Shah Afridi will continue as ODI captain for the tri-nation series featuring Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and England.
The T20I series will take place at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on October 9, 11, and 13. After that, Pakistan will host a seven-match ODI tri-series, with the opening matches scheduled in Rawalpindi before the tournament moves to Lahore for the remaining fixtures and the final.
Farhan takes over the T20I captaincy after leading Pakistan at the recently concluded Asian Games in Japan. Former T20I captain Salman Ali Agha has been left out of the T20 squad but remains part of the ODI setup.
The T20I squad does not include Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi, who have been rested from the shortest format and will focus on the ODI competition instead.
Pakistan have also handed opportunities to a few emerging players. All-rounders Razaullah and Mohammad Imran Randhawa have received call-ups after impressive performances at the domestic and international levels. Razaullah caught attention during his Test debut against England with an aggressive 81-run knock and a four-wicket haul, while Randhawa earned recognition as a pace-bowling all-rounder.
Maaz Sadaqat has kept his place after a strong Asian Games campaign, while Abdul Samad returns to the T20I squad after more than a year away from the format.
Hasan Nawaz has also been rewarded for his outstanding performances in Japan. He finished as the tournament’s leading run-scorer for Pakistan and produced a memorable 96-run innings against India in the Asian Games final.
Fast bowler Naseem Shah is back in the T20I squad after missing recent matches, while experienced names such as Shadab Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Saim Ayub, and Abrar Ahmed are also included.
For the ODI tri-series, Pakistan have selected a more experienced squad under Shaheen Afridi’s leadership. Babar Azam, Salman Ali Agha, Haris Rauf, and Faheem Ashraf are among the senior players named in the squad.
Hasan Nawaz and Razaullah have also earned places in the ODI team following their recent performances.
One of the biggest highlights is the inclusion of wicketkeeper-batter Saad Baig, who has received his first ODI call-up after an impressive domestic season in which he scored over 1,000 runs in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy. Left-arm spinner Sufiyan Moqim has also been added to the squad, while Mohammad Ghazi Ghori has been selected as another wicketkeeping option.
The PCB also confirmed a change in the coaching staff. Former Australian fast bowler Shaun Tait has returned as Pakistan’s bowling coach in a consultancy role. Tait previously worked with the national team during 2022 and 2023 and replaces Ashley Noffke, who stepped down after the Asian Games to become head coach of the Netherlands.
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