Pakistan has announced a leadership change in its T20I squad, naming 30-year-old Sahibzada Farhan as the new captain for the upcoming series against Sri Lanka, which is scheduled to commence on October 9. Farhan succeeds Salman Ali Agha, who led the team during the T20 World Cup but has not been included in the 15-man squad for this tour.
Farhan brings strong recent form to the role, having been the top scorer at the T20 World Cup with 383 runs and leading Pakistan to a silver medal at the recently concluded Asian Games. His squad features several players from the Asian Games roster, including Saim Ayub, Hasan Nawaz, Arafat Minhas, Abrar Ahmed, Sufiyan Moqim, Mohammad Salman Mirza, and Abdul Samad.
Despite his new T20I leadership, Farhan has not been selected for the 16-member ODI squad led by Shaheen Shah Afridi. This ODI side is set to participate in a tri-series against Sri Lanka and England, serving as preparation for next year’s World Cup. The ODI competition begins on October 18, following a double round-robin format, with the final held at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium on October 31.
The Notable exclusions include Abdul Samad, Rohail Nazir, Shamyl Hussain, Maaz Sadaqat, and Ahmed Daniyal. Conversely, selectors have brought in Fakhar Zaman, Faheem Ashraf, Razaullah, Saad Baig, Saim Ayub, and Hasan Nawaz, the latter of whom notably struck 96 runs in the Asian Games final against India. From the squad that last played the format and beat Australia 2-1 in January this year, Abdul Samad, Rohail Nazir, Shamyl Hussain, Maaz Sadaqat and Ahmed Daniyal have also been left out.
