No place for Babar, Shaheen as Pakistan make bold squad announcement for Asian Games

Pakistan have unveiled their 15-member squad for the Asian Games to be held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, from 19 September to 4 October. The announcement reflects a bold shift in selection strategy, with the committee placing its trust in youth to deliver a gold medal at the 10-team event.

Notably, senior stars such as Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi, and Shadab Khan have been left out. Instead, opener Sahibzada Farhan, the leading run-scorer at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, has been named captain. Hard-hitting lower-order batter Abdul Samad will serve as vice-captain, adding firepower and leadership depth.

While Pakistan suffered a Super Eight exit from the T20 World Cup, Farhan made the most of the opportunities that came his way and shattered Virat Kohli's record (319) for scoring the most runs in a single edition of the tournament.

Farhan aggregated 383 runs in six innings, including two hundreds (against Namibia and Sri Lanka). His runs came at an average of 76.60 and a strike rate of 160.25. He also struck two half-centuries and smashed 37 fours and 18 sixes.

Meanwhile, Samad has played just five T20Is and amassed 66 runs, averaging 16.50 and at a strike rate of 113.79. However, his PSL stats justify his inclusion. In matches that he played for Peshawar Zalmi in the recently concluded season, Samad piled up 132 runs at a strike rate of 188.57, laced with eight fours and 12 sixes.

The squad also features several uncapped players at the international level. Spin-bowling allrounder Saad Masood, opener Maaz Sadaqat, pacer Ali Raza, and left-arm seamer Akif Javed are among those yet to make their T20I debuts, highlighting Pakistan’s commitment to grooming fresh talent on the big stage.

Squad: Sahibzada Farhan (captain), Abdul Samad (vice-captain), Abrar Ahmed, Ahmed Daniyal, Akif Javed, Ali Raza, Arafat Minhas, Haider Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Maaz Sadaqat, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Saad Masood, Saim Ayub, Sufyan Moqim, Usman Khan (wicket-keeper)

Support Staff: Mike Hesson (head coach), Ashley Noffke (bowling coach), Shane McDermott (fielding coach), Muhammad Tahir (physiotherapist), Imran Ullah (trainer), Usman Hashmi (analyst-cum-team operations coordinator)