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What should Pakistan’s squad look like for the ICC T20 World Cup 2026?

indian_sap

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1. Sahibzada
2. Abdullah Shafique (Saim IF returns to form b4 selection, but I only give him 20% chance at this stage)
3. Babar/ Rizwan (at this stage I believe Rizwan is in a better T20 form than Babar)
4. Hassan Nawaz
5. Mohd Haris
6. Hussain Talat (lower order grit & take the team thru esp when early wickets fall + pitches in Sri/Ind will suit his bowling)
7. Mohd Nawaz
8. Shaheen Afridi
9. Naseem Shah (open for discussion, but I'm only looking at 140+ consistent line & length speedsters not 120-130+ pls)
10. Mohd Wasim/ Faheem (Toss between the two, I wud personally chose Wasim for speed, yorkers, similar batting)
11. Abrar
12. Mehran Mumtaz
13. Sajid (there r way too many left handers these days and none in this team to bowl at them, very imp selection this)
14. Top-middle order batsman 140+ SR (Open for discussion, pls let us know who you think cud potentially fit this spot)
15. Top genuine 140+ speed fast bowler (Open for discussion, pls let us know who you think cud potentially fit this spot)

Let me know what you think, I'm still looking for the last 2 slots - suggestions welcome👇


Please don't recommend Fakhar, he hasn't done much for 10 years in T20 format (100+ T20 matches, just 2000+ runs @ a paltry 22 avg with just 130 strike rate) hence doesn't deserve a slot in the first place, also not the fittest around.
 
Potential batting line-up:

1. Sahibzada
2. Abdullah Shafique
3. Babar/ Rizwan
4. Hassan Nawaz
5. Mohd Haris
6. Hussain Talat
7. Mohd Nawaz
8. Mohd Wasim/ Faheem
9. Shaheen Afridi
10. Naseem Shah
11. Abrar/ Mehran/ Sajid
 
1. Sahibzada
2. Abdullah Shafique (Saim IF returns to form b4 selection, but I only give him 20% chance at this stage)
3. Babar/ Rizwan (at this stage I believe Rizwan is in a better T20 form than Babar)
4. Hassan Nawaz
5. Mohd Haris
6. Hussain Talat (lower order grit & take the team thru esp when early wickets fall + pitches in Sri/Ind will suit his bowling)
7. Mohd Nawaz
8. Shaheen Afridi
9. Naseem Shah (open for discussion, but I'm only looking at 140+ consistent line & length speedsters not 120-130+ pls)
10. Mohd Wasim/ Faheem (Toss between the two, I wud personally chose Wasim for speed, yorkers, similar batting)
11. Abrar
12. Mehran Mumtaz
13. Sajid (there r way too many left handers these days and none in this team to bowl at them, very imp selection this)
14. Top-middle order batsman 140+ SR (Open for discussion, pls let us know who you think cud potentially fit this spot)
15. Top genuine 140+ speed fast bowler (Open for discussion, pls let us know who you think cud potentially fit this spot)

Let me know what you think, I'm still looking for the last 2 slots - suggestions welcome👇


Please don't recommend Fakhar, he hasn't done much for 10 years in T20 format (100+ T20 matches, just 2000+ runs @ a paltry 22 avg with just 130 strike rate) hence doesn't deserve a slot in the first place, also not the fittest around.
LOL

Abduallah Shafique???

Bro..He is even worse than Saim... Although I agree with Fakhar's exclusion. He has been over-hyped and achieved nothing much in T20s.. has been a nobody in t20s for a long time..
 
I want solid, dependable openers rather than reckless sloggers. At a World Cup, the level of competition and the bowlers’ pedigree is too high for sloggers or unpolished top-order batters.

Obviously, if you have a better name most welcome to share here.
 
LOL

Abduallah Shafique???

Bro..He is even worse than Saim... Although I agree with Fakhar's exclusion. He has been over-hyped and achieved nothing much in T20s.. has been a nobody in t20s for a long time..
Power hitters like Fakhar (? Reflexes not the same due to age) and Nissanka (despite possessing such talent his T20I SR is around 125!) will always be hit or miss.

Viv, Gilchrist and Abhishek are exceptions.
 
I want solid, dependable openers rather than reckless sloggers. At a World Cup, the level of competition and the bowlers’ pedigree is too high for sloggers or unpolished top-order batters.

Obviously, if you have a better name most welcome to share here.

Good luck with that. Their whole set up is based on 10 cameos right till batsman 10. It doesn't matter if you have 60 dot balls.
 
Power hitters like Fakhar (? Reflexes not the same due to age) and Nissanka (despite possessing such talent his T20I SR is around 125!) will always be hit or miss.

Viv, Gilchrist and Abhishek are exceptions.
When you analyze players career strike rate check year by year. Nissanka's 2024 strike rate is 138. 2025 strike rate is 153. Anything happened before 2024 is irrelevant anymore.
 
Good thread. We should give this bunch till SA series before going for changes. I don't think there will be many changes anyways as long as Hesson is there.
 
Batting is clearly not up to the mark. Too inconsistent and prone to collapses. Poor shot selection and lack of game smartness are the real issues
 
When you analyze players career strike rate check year by year. Nissanka's 2024 strike rate is 138. 2025 strike rate is 153. Anything happened before 2024 is irrelevant anymore.
Impressive. Nissanka is a dangerous batsman when he gets going.
 
Potential batting line-up:

1. Sahibzada
2. Abdullah Shafique
3. Babar/ Rizwan
4. Hassan Nawaz
5. Mohd Haris
6. Hussain Talat
7. Mohd Nawaz
8. Mohd Wasim/ Faheem
9. Shaheen Afridi
10. Naseem Shah
11. Abrar/ Mehran/ Sajid
Shafique, Babar and Talat in the same lineup ?

Misbah will be proud.:misbah3
 
Shafique, Babar and Talat in the same lineup ?

Misbah will be proud.:misbah3

Thread is open for suggestions, we strive to make the best selection.

Pls suggest alternates if u dont agree with any of the above selections. Criticising is easy, coming up with alternate solutions isn't & will b appreciated.
 
You want to make it a yawning show ? For once Pakistan team looks exciting in 5 years . Let it be . Shafique by no means fits in this line up
 
Where is haris sohail???? does anybody know

he can be excellent choice if Hussain talat or agha salman can play

I recommend haris sohail for 2026 t20 wc

My dream lineup would be

saim
Farhan/Babar azam
Fakhar(C)
Haris sohail/
hassan nawaz/
Mohd nawaz/Shadab
Haris
Faheem
Shaheen
Rauf
Sufiyaan/Naseem/Abrar
 
i wont drop these players from current lineup
Saim
Farhan
Fakhar
hassan nawaz
haris
nawaz
Shaheen
rauf

farhan can be replaced or swapped with babar azam depending upon form
 
I’ve always strongly maintained and so far proven right:

Pakistan are much better off without Babar and Rizwan in their T20 sides.

Always bare that in mind. You give yourself a much better chance at qualification and silverware without those two.

At some point, or moment…either one if not both will sell you down the river at a vital moment.

Baaqi Aap sab siyane ho.
 
I’ve always strongly maintained and so far proven right:

Pakistan are much better off without Babar and Rizwan in their T20 sides.

Always bare that in mind. You give yourself a much better chance at qualification and silverware without those two.

At some point, or moment…either one if not both will sell you down the river at a vital moment.

Baaqi Aap sab siyane ho.
Nonsense.

You “strongly maintained” that Pakistani batting will be aggressive and modern after Babar and Rizwan are removed, but your delusions were laid to rest by the fact that their replacements are not even less consistent, they are also slower.

It’s easy to talk about intent and aggression in pressers but doing it on the pitch is a different ball game.

Now with all the rotten tomatoes dripping from your face, you have pivoted towards “but we are qualifying for the finals or winning tournaments without them” as if the success of the bowlers masks the batting failure which has been nothing short of embarrassing.

Pakistan playing the final or winning the Asia Cup (hopefully) have nothing to do with Babar and Rizwan getting dropped and also have nothing to do with Pakistan so-called modern and aggressive batting approach.

It has a lot to do with Shaheen Afridi though, the guy that the clown duo of Agha and Hesson initially wanted to drop for Hassan Ali before they realized their folly.
 
When you analyze players career strike rate check year by year. Nissanka's 2024 strike rate is 138. 2025 strike rate is 153. Anything happened before 2024 is irrelevant anymore.
Fakhar had a T20 SR of 152 last year (avg. 27). But fair weather Pak fans think he's "overrated", as if they have an embarrassment of riches of choose from...
 
Babar and Rizwan should replace Agha and Haris. Shaheen should be captain.

Rest doesn’t matter.
I think Haris contribution versus Bangladesh was critical.

I would replace Farhan and Agha with Babar and Rizwan.

Rizwan can walk into the team as specialist batsman as well. Not to mention he is a much better WK than Haris.
 
Babar and Abdullah Shafique should be given chances in the lead up to the World T20. But will they remove Agha from the side to accomodate them?

Rizwan's T20I career is pretty much over.
 
Fakhar had a T20 SR of 152 last year (avg. 27). But fair weather Pak fans think he's "overrated", as if they have an embarrassment of riches of choose from...
Fakhar was good in the first part of 2024 that too at home. He declined since the world cup. 9, 11, 13, 4, 5 these are his world cup returns. In 2025 he is poor. He is old.
 
Fakhar was good in the first part of 2024 that too at home. He declined since the world cup. 9, 11, 13, 4, 5 these are his world cup returns. In 2025 he is poor. He is old.
In this Pakistan side he is still miles ahead of most others. He is not great on slow and sluggish pitches which is reflected by his returns in the US and UAE, but on his day, he is still more capable of stepping up in a high-pressure situation than anyone else in this team
 
Thread is open for suggestions, we strive to make the best selection.

Pls suggest alternates if u dont agree with any of the above selections. Criticising is easy, coming up with alternate solutions isn't & will b appreciated.
I already posted my lineup in Pak vs India final match thread. We should continue with that for now.
 
Fakhar was good in the first part of 2024 that too at home. He declined since the world cup. 9, 11, 13, 4, 5 these are his world cup returns. In 2025 he is poor. He is old.
He did well in PSL 2025. That is why he is in the team and rizbabar are kicked out.
 
Babar and Rizwan should replace Agha and Haris. Shaheen should be captain.

Rest doesn’t matter.
Why? Replace the guys who are flunking not the guys who are performing?

I can understand Agha being dropped but Haris? He's done a decent job despite people attacking him.

Meanwhile saim avg 3?
 
We should make three changes to the squad after this Asia cup.

Faheem, Talat and Hassan Ali out.
Abbas Afridi, Abdul Sammad and Usman Khan in.
 
Why? Replace the guys who are flunking not the guys who are performing?

I can understand Agha being dropped but Haris? He's done a decent job despite people attacking him.

Meanwhile saim avg 3?
Haris has been poor. He has not done a decent job.

The issue that he’s such a rubbish hack who has set the bar so low for himself that even if he scores 20-25 runs, people think he has done well.

There is no competition between him and Rizwan and never will be. Rizwan is miles better than him in all formats despite his obvious shortcomings.

Therefore, it’s complete madness to pick Haris over him. If Haris has to make the T20I team at all costs, then it has to be at the expense of someone else.

Who that someone else can be is a matter of debate. Saim is in terrible form right now but in the long-term, this isn’t a race that Haris can win, because Saim has way more potential as a batsman.

The problem for Haris is that as a WK batsman, he is no threat to Rizwan whatsoever. Rizwan’s natural successor hasn’t emerged yet but it will happen eventually because even for a country like Pakistan, it wouldn’t be hard to find a better all-format WK than Haris who is a really poor cricketer.

In addition, Haris will also struggle to maintain a place in the LOI team as a pure batsmen because it won’t be hard for Pakistan to find more reliable and consistent batsmen than him.
 
Haris has been poor. He has not done a decent job.

The issue that he’s such a rubbish hack who has set the bar so low for himself that even if he scores 20-25 runs, people think he has done well.

There is no competition between him and Rizwan and never will be. Rizwan is miles better than him in all formats despite his obvious shortcomings.

Therefore, it’s complete madness to pick Haris over him. If Haris has to make the T20I team at all costs, then it has to be at the expense of someone else.

Who that someone else can be is a matter of debate. Saim is in terrible form right now but in the long-term, this isn’t a race that Haris can win, because Saim has way more potential as a batsman.

The problem for Haris is that as a WK batsman, he is no threat to Rizwan whatsoever. Rizwan’s natural successor hasn’t emerged yet but it will happen eventually because even for a country like Pakistan, it wouldn’t be hard to find a better all-format WK than Haris who is a really poor cricketer.

In addition, Haris will also struggle to maintain a place in the LOI team as a pure batsmen because it won’t be hard for Pakistan to find more reliable and consistent batsmen than him.
No one is arguing haris > Rizwan.

Is having 2 keepers in the squad some Law or rule in world cricket?

Ik you dont like Haris but barring Fakhar Zaman and Muhammad Nawaz he has been Pakistan's best batsmen this asia cup
 
How is Talat as a batsman? I haven’t watched him play before Asia cup . Can he shift gears and accelerate when required?

On first impression, he looked like a proper batsman, just a bit out of touch.
He is basically a poor mans Ambati Rayudu from what I have seen.

He doesn’t have the ability to accelerate at will and definitely isn’t a natural t20 batsman.

Also, my intention is not to be condescending here, it’s just my genuine opinion.
 
Babar and Abdullah Shafique should be given chances in the lead up to the World T20. But will they remove Agha from the side to accomodate them?

Rizwan's T20I career is pretty much over.
Abdullah Shafique? You really think there’s any chance of him becoming a decent t20 batsman?
 
The WC is in India + SL. It will be a high scoring Bonanza I am assuming. We know that unless Pakistan qualifies for the final, they will be playing in SL I guess. Now, wickets at least will be far better than middle eastern garbage for stroke making. I would hang on to mostly the same squad, however Abbas Afridi can replace someone - too early to say whom.
 
Nonsense.

You “strongly maintained” that Pakistani batting will be aggressive and modern after Babar and Rizwan are removed, but your delusions were laid to rest by the fact that their replacements are not even less consistent, they are also slower.

It’s easy to talk about intent and aggression in pressers but doing it on the pitch is a different ball game.

Now with all the rotten tomatoes dripping from your face, you have pivoted towards “but we are qualifying for the finals or winning tournaments without them” as if the success of the bowlers masks the batting failure which has been nothing short of embarrassing.

Pakistan playing the final or winning the Asia Cup (hopefully) have nothing to do with Babar and Rizwan getting dropped and also have nothing to do with Pakistan so-called modern and aggressive batting approach.

It has a lot to do with Shaheen Afridi though, the guy that the clown duo of Agha and Hesson initially wanted to drop for Hassan Ali before they realized their folly.
I’ll give you this — the batting has been average. But let’s be honest, it’s always been average at ICC/Asia Cups. In the past, Pakistan survived on random late-order heroics (think Asif Ali or even Naseem Shah); the numbers were never flattering.

What’s different now is the intent. This group is at least trying high-risk, modern cricket instead of clinging to the old “let’s crawl to 160 and hope for an Asif cameo” formula.

The challenge is obvious: they don’t yet have the full skill set to consistently pull it off. Still, you can see sparks in Haris, Hassan N., Saim, and Farhan — players who actually swing with intent. On slow, sticky pitches (where even most others struggled outside of Abhishek), those sparks haven’t fully caught fire. And yet, Pakistan’s in the final because across departments they’ve done just enough better. Fun fact: Fakhar, Farhan, and Haris are all in the top 10 run-scorers this Asia Cup (so it’s not like everyone else has been having a party either).

That’s what a shift in philosophy looks like — it’s messy. Mistakes happen, players recycle, new skills take time to grow. You don’t wake up one day and magically turn into England 2019. The World Cup will be on flat decks, and that’s when this intent-first approach will actually pay dividends.

And no, this isn’t some anti-Babar/Rizwan agenda. If they’re willing to adapt — bat lower, change gears, whatever the team needs — perfect. But look at Haris: he sacrificed his natural top-order slot, played 6/7/8, and still finished in the top 10 run-scorers with a strike rate of 137. That’s higher than Rizwan has managed across multiple tournaments. In T20s, strike rate isn’t a luxury — it’s the currency that wins you games.

Shaheen has been a beast, no doubt. But let’s not pretend Pakistan’s only in the final because of him. The batting might still be clunky, but it’s a genuine attempt to modernize and it needs the support of genuine Pakistan cricket fans, because if we don’t, we will be nowhere.
 
I'm happy to keep Haris based on a couple of decent innings recently and his form in recent Srilanka LPL.

I would also have Rizwan over Babar bcz of his recent CPL form, Babar imho hasn't done much in T20s since being dropped hence Rizwan seems more likely and historically Rizwan has won more matches or batted thru more dire situations than Babar has.
 
Rizwan (WK)
Saim
Babar
H Nawaz
Fakhar
M Haris
M Nawaz
F Ashraf
Shaheen (C)
Abbas Afridi
Abrar

Reserves
Farhan
Rauf
Muqeem
Agha
 
Abdullah Shafique? You really think there’s any chance of him becoming a decent t20 batsman?
His issues are with strike rotation in ODIs, especially upfront. But he has a good record in the PSL and in T20's , ours somewhat forgivable . Besides, I'm not sure there are too many alternatives.
 
Current squad should play with 3-4 changes perhaps.

Unless they get their forms back, I expect Haris, Agha, and possibly Saim to get replaced.
 
Need to get rid of Khushdil. Saim also... Fakhar also has not done enough but he might get selected again, and so does saim because he has now become Muralitharan.

I don't think there will be much changes now... Talat also seems to be a mis fit for T20s
 
I’ll give you this — the batting has been average. But let’s be honest, it’s always been average at ICC/Asia Cups. In the past, Pakistan survived on random late-order heroics (think Asif Ali or even Naseem Shah); the numbers were never flattering.

What’s different now is the intent. This group is at least trying high-risk, modern cricket instead of clinging to the old “let’s crawl to 160 and hope for an Asif cameo” formula.

The challenge is obvious: they don’t yet have the full skill set to consistently pull it off. Still, you can see sparks in Haris, Hassan N., Saim, and Farhan — players who actually swing with intent. On slow, sticky pitches (where even most others struggled outside of Abhishek), those sparks haven’t fully caught fire. And yet, Pakistan’s in the final because across departments they’ve done just enough better. Fun fact: Fakhar, Farhan, and Haris are all in the top 10 run-scorers this Asia Cup (so it’s not like everyone else has been having a party either).

That’s what a shift in philosophy looks like — it’s messy. Mistakes happen, players recycle, new skills take time to grow. You don’t wake up one day and magically turn into England 2019. The World Cup will be on flat decks, and that’s when this intent-first approach will actually pay dividends.

And no, this isn’t some anti-Babar/Rizwan agenda. If they’re willing to adapt — bat lower, change gears, whatever the team needs — perfect. But look at Haris: he sacrificed his natural top-order slot, played 6/7/8, and still finished in the top 10 run-scorers with a strike rate of 137. That’s higher than Rizwan has managed across multiple tournaments. In T20s, strike rate isn’t a luxury — it’s the currency that wins you games.

Shaheen has been a beast, no doubt. But let’s not pretend Pakistan’s only in the final because of him. The batting might still be clunky, but it’s a genuine attempt to modernize and it needs the support of genuine Pakistan cricket fans, because if we don’t, we will be nowhere.
What intent, what high-risk and what modern cricket?

Farhan with a SR of 107? Fakhar with a SR of 117? Agha with a SR of 78?

Haris has had an average tournament, but he has set the bar so low for himself that 20-25 runs at a SR of 135 looks like a success, because those who back him to be in the team also don’t believe that he can do well.
 
What intent, what high-risk and what modern cricket?

Farhan with a SR of 107? Fakhar with a SR of 117? Agha with a SR of 78?

Haris has had an average tournament, but he has set the bar so low for himself that 20-25 runs at a SR of 135 looks like a success, because those who back him to be in the team also don’t believe that he can do well.
People underrate it, but 20–25 runs at 135 in these conditions is match-shaping. Especially when everyone else is gasping for air after six overs.

On intent, strike rate is the output. You have to look at manner of dismissals. Players are getting out hitting out.

I’ve already said Pakistan’s batting has struggled — but so has everyone else. That’s exactly why 3 of our guys are still in the tournament’s top 10 run-getters. On truer World Cup surfaces, the same intent-first approach will pay real dividends as long as these guys continue working on enhancing their skills and leadership mandate remains consistent.
 
Saim Ayub
Fakhar Zaman
Sahibzada
Abdullah Shafique
Hasan Nawaz
Mohammad Haris
Mohammad Nawaz
Faheem Ashraf
Shadab Khan (c)
Shaheen Afridi
Haris Rauf
Naseem Shah
Abrar
Abdul Samad
Abbas Afridi
 
He is more useful than Talat and Khushdil

But it's better to keep this same group intact for the world cup.
I agree with the current group part.

It’s fine. Those who have been following this team and players know they are far better with the bat than what they have shown in this tournament.

The guy in charge is Aqib. He needs to stay firm. Let these barsaati maindaks cry all they want.
 
Most of the current set of players are terrible.
And their replacements if any are not going to be better.

So hardly makes a difference who plays
 
Most of the current set of players are terrible.
And their replacements if any are not going to be better.

So hardly makes a difference who plays
That’s a lie.

The guys running the old set up were terrible actually. Babar and Rizwan in form are worse than Fakhar, Saim, Nawaz, Harris, Sahibzada even out of form.
 
The guys running the old set up were terrible actually. Babar and Rizwan in form are worse than Fakhar, Saim, Nawaz, Harris, Sahibzada even out of form.
This is how propaganda works actually. It doesnt have to be founded in truth. But you repeat it so many times that people begin to accept it.

But eventually when all the drama is over ,those who propagate the lies are always remembered as traitors. Nobody trusts what they say and it's already happening to you @Rana
 
People underrate it, but 20–25 runs at 135 in these conditions is match-shaping. Especially when everyone else is gasping for air after six overs.

On intent, strike rate is the output. You have to look at manner of dismissals. Players are getting out hitting out.

I’ve already said Pakistan’s batting has struggled — but so has everyone else. That’s exactly why 3 of our guys are still in the tournament’s top 10 run-getters. On truer World Cup surfaces, the same intent-first approach will pay real dividends as long as these guys continue working on enhancing their skills and leadership mandate remains consistent.
I beg to differ.

Your explanation only applies to Saim, who has not spent any time at the crews and has been dismissing going for big shots.

The other players with their rubbish strike rates have played a lot of deliveries. Having such low strike rates after facing a lot of deliveries indicate a lack of intent and also a lack of ability to rotate the strike.

These players have shown less intent than Babar and Rizwan and with less consistency. There is a clear gap between what Pakistan claim that they will do and what they actually do, and we should be able to call them out for it rather than defend them.

I have seen nothing in this Asia Cup that would suggest that Pakistan must continue with this batting unit moving forward regardless of what happened today (and I have a good feeling about today) and Babar and Rizwan will not or should not return to the team.
 
Pakistans batting has been lacklustre throughout the tournament.

Today is there last chance at redemption.

If Pakistan loses this, Babar and Rizwan will walk back into this lineup.
 
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