Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, and Shaheen Afridi Miss Out As Pakistan Announce Squad for Sri Lanka T20Is

Pakistan have announced a 15-member squad for the three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka, starting on January 7.

The team will be without Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, and Mohammad Rizwan, as they continue to play in the Big Bash League (BBL) in Australia.

Babar is playing for Sydney Sixers, Rizwan for Melbourne Renegades, Rauf for Melbourne Stars, and Shaheen Afridi for Brisbane Heat in the BBL. These players will return to home only after finishing their BBL commitments.

The squad will leave for Sri Lanka in the first week of January. All three T20Is will be held at the Rangiri Dambulla International Cricket Stadium (RDICS) in Dambulla on January 7, 9, and 11.

This series will give Pakistan a chance to finalise their squad for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. Pakistan will play all their World Cup matches in Colombo, starting with their first game against the Netherlands.

The deadline to announce the T20 World Cup 2026 squad is January 7.

Shadab Khan Returns to the T20I Side

Pakistan all-rounder Shadab Khan makes a return to the team after recovering from shoulder surgery earlier this year. He is currently featuring in the BBL for Sydney Thunder.

Another addition to the squad is uncapped wicketkeeper-batter Khawaja Nafay. The 23-year-old right-handed batter has recently been part of the Pakistan Shaheens squad.

For the top order, Pakistan will have Fakhar Zaman, Saim Ayub, and Sahibzada Farhan. The middle order includes Salman Ali Agha, Abdul Samad, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan as wicketkeeper, and Khawaja Nafay as backup wicketkeeper.

For the spinners, the team has Mohammad Nawaz, Abrar Ahmed, Usman Tariq, and Shadab Khan. The pacers are Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Mohammad Wasim Jr, and Naseem Shah.

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Pakistan squad for T20I Series against Sri Lanka

Salman Ali Agha (c), Abdul Samad, Abrar Ahmad, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Nafay, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan, Usman Tariq.

Schedule for Sri Lanka vs Pakistan T20Is

First T20I – January 7, Dambulla, 7:00 PM IST

Second T20I – January 9, Dambulla, 7:00 PM IST

Third T20I – January 11, Dambulla, 7:00 PM IST

Pakistan are in good form in T20Is. Earlier this year, they reached the Asia Cup final, where they lost to India. They then won the T20I series against South Africa 2-1 and also emerged victorious in the tri-series against Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe.

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