T20 World Cup 2026: Moeen Ali names his Pakistan XI for India clash; drops Babar Azam | Exclusive

England all-rounder Moeen Ali feels that Pakistan have not yet found their ideal playing XI. Despite that, he reckoned that Pakistan could challenge India for the “first time in a long time,” as the two teams lock horns in the high-octane clash on February 15 in Colombo.

“I think this is the first time Pakistan will challenge India better compared to the previous [occasions],” Moeen said on the latest episode of Mr Cricket UAE podcast.

Asked if he was confident about Pakistan’s batting as much as their bowling, Moeen said that Pakistan are playing the wrong combination. He named his picks for the clash against India, boldly dropping Babar Azam for Fakhar Zaman, while candidly confessing that the move will not materialise in reality.

“I'm confident about the batting, but I'm not confident with the combination. I think they're still playing the wrong team. I would play Fakhar Zaman. I like Salman Agha at No. 3, actually. Fakhar Zaman would be No. 4. They have Usman [Khan] also playing. But I like Khawaja Nafay. He's a brilliant player. I would replace Usman Khan as the wicketkeeper. And I would actually take out Babar Azam,” Moeen said.

'I'd go for experienced left-armer' - Moeen Ali picks Shaheen over Naseem, Salman

Moeen also revealed his picks for the bowling attack, choosing the experienced left-arm pacer Shaheen Afridi in the team over Salman Mirza and Naseem Shah. He admitted that Naseem has been in brilliant form, expressing surprise over the fact that he is somehow not a sure starter in Pakistan’s XI.

“If I were to pick out of these three [Salman, Shaheen, Naseem], my gut feel would say, against India, Shaheen, left-armer. I would go for the more experienced left-armer, even though I think Salman is bowling better than Shaheen,” Moeen said. “But Naseem has been bowling very well in the last six months. It's weird that he doesn't fit in and Fakhar doesn't fit in.

“The two openers [Sahibzada Farhan and Saim Ayub] for Pakistan are very good. And that's why Agha is very good at three. But I don't think you can have Agha and Babar at three or four. Babar will definitely play. He will definitely play. But I wouldn't play [him],” he concluded.

Moeen Ali’s Pakistan XI for T20 World Cup 2026 clash against India

Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Agha (c), Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Nafay (wk), Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Nawaz, Abrar Ahmed, Usman Tariq, Shaheen Afridi

Defend or chase in Colombo? Moeen Ali answers

Moeen was also quizzed about the preferred choice of the toss-winning skipper. The all-rounder suggested in an instant that chasing will be the way to go. Additionally, with the rain forecast in Colombo, the chasing team will be better placed should DLS come into play.

“India will definitely bowl first. 100%. I can guarantee that. Pakistan should [also look to] bowl first. Whether they will bowl first or not – this is the issue I have with Pakistan, because they just do things that just does not make sense sometimes, when you do not expect it to happen. But I think they should definitely chase,” Moeen said.

“I personally think in T20 cricket, generally, you should chase. Bat first when it [the track] is absolute road or [in a] final. Because in final, there is pressure and stuff. And if it is absolute road of a wicket, batting first is okay. You score 200+, and bat the [other] team out of the game.

Moeen reckoned that since neither of the two teams has played at the R. Premadasa Stadium yet, chasing should be the default choice to avoid stepping into the unknown.

“Both teams have not played on that [Colombo] wicket. And I always believe, sometimes, if you can get a team three down early, four down early, or sometimes, see, in cricket, what happens is, unless it's an absolute spinning wicket, if the wicket does a little bit, it does the most in the first five overs of the game. So, you can easily catch a team out,” he concluded.