Pakistan have made sweeping changes to their T20I team, with Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf among the biggest names dropped, while Salman Ali Agha has lost both his captaincy and place in the squad.
Sahibzada Farhan has been appointed the new T20I captain after leading Pakistan to a silver medal at the 2026 Asian Games. Pakistan have also rewarded several youngsters who impressed at the Asian Games and in other recent competitions.
However, Babar, Shaheen, Haris and Salman remain part of Pakistan’s ODI plans, with Shaheen continuing as ODI captain.
Babar, Shaheen and Haris Rauf dropped from T20I squad
Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf have all been left out of the three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka.
Faheem Ashraf, Usman Khan and Usman Tariq are also missing from the T20I squad.
The changes have opened the door for a younger group featuring players such as Hasan Nawaz, Arafat Minhas, Maaz Sadaqat and Razaullah, who have produced impressive performances recently.
Hasan Nawaz smashed 96 against India
Hasan Nawaz produced one of Pakistan’s best performances at the Asian Games.
Chasing 212 against India in the final, Pakistan were struggling at 39/3 before Hasan smashed 96 from just 51 balls, including five fours and seven sixes.
He added 87 runs with Saim Ayub and kept Pakistan in the chase before they eventually finished at 192/6 and lost by 19 runs.
Arafat Minhas impressed with the ball against India
Arafat Minhas was another youngster who impressed against India in the Asian Games final.
The left-arm spinner returned figures of 2/25, dismissing Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan. Abhishek had smashed 61 from just 28 balls before Minhas ended his dangerous innings.
Minhas has now been selected in both Pakistan’s T20I and ODI squads.
Maaz Sadaqat rewarded after sensational CPL
Maaz Sadaqat strengthened his reputation with an outstanding CPL 2026 campaign.
He smashed 114 from just 58 balls in the final, hitting eight fours and nine sixes. It was his second century in three matches after he had also scored a hundred in the Eliminator, while his 114 made him the first batter to score a century in a CPL final.
Maaz also represented Pakistan at the Asian Games and scored 23 against India in the final.
Razaullah impressed with pace and surprised everyone with his six-hitting
Razaullah is perhaps the most interesting inclusion in Pakistan’s new squads.
The 21-year-old impressed with his pace on Test debut against England at Edgbaston, taking 4/148. His wickets included England captain Joe Root, Emilio Gay, Jamie Smith and Ollie Robinson.
But his batting produced an even bigger surprise.
Razaullah launched a stunning counter-attack in Pakistan’s second innings, smashing 81 from 63 balls with nine sixes and four fours. He reached his maiden Test fifty from just 43 deliveries.
Despite playing only one Test in the three-match series, Razaullah finished with nine sixes. Across his two innings on debut, he scored 92 runs at an average of 46 and a strike rate of 124.32.
His ability to bowl with pace and produce unexpected power-hitting has now earned him his maiden white-ball call-up, with Razaullah selected in both the T20I and ODI squads.
Pakistan T20I squad vs Sri Lanka
Sahibzada Farhan (Captain), Abdul Samad, Abrar Ahmed, Arafat Minhas, Fakhar Zaman, Hasan Nawaz, Muhammad Imran Randhawa, Khawaja Nafay (WK), Maaz Sadaqat, Naseem Shah, Razaullah, Saim Ayub, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Shadab Khan, Sufiyan Moqim.
The three T20Is will be played at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on October 9, 11 and 13.
Pakistan ODI squad for tri-series
Shaheen Shah Afridi (Captain), Abrar Ahmed, Salman Ali Agha, Arafat Minhas, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Muhammad Ghazi Ghori (WK), Haris Rauf, Hasan Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Razaullah, Saad Baig (WK), Saim Ayub, Shadab Khan, Sufiyan Moqim.
Pakistan will then compete in a seven-match ODI tri-series involving England and Sri Lanka.
While Babar, Shaheen, Haris, Salman and Faheem have been moved out of the T20I setup, their inclusion in the ODI squad shows that Pakistan’s major overhaul is currently focused on the shortest format.
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