Pakistan have announced a 15-member squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026, led by captain Salman Ali Agha. The squad features several key players including Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Naseem Shah, Fakhar Zaman and Mohammad Nawaz, along with emerging talents such as Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan and Usman Khan.
All of Pakistan’s group-stage matches will be played in Sri Lanka under the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) “Fusion Formula”, which ensures that Pakistan and India do not tour each other during global tournaments and instead compete at neutral venues. Pakistan are scheduled to face the Netherlands on February 7, the United States on February 10 and Namibia on February 18.
If Pakistan qualify for the knockout stage, the semi-finals and final will be held in Colombo. However, if they fail to progress, the knockout matches will take place in Kolkata and Ahmedabad.
The Government of Pakistan has confirmed that the national men’s team will participate in the T20 World Cup 2026 but will not play their group-stage match against India on February 15. The decision is widely viewed as an attempt to apply financial pressure on the ICC, which has recently been criticised by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi for alleged double standards and favouring the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
The announcement came after a high-level meeting between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Naqvi. Pakistan had earlier reconsidered their participation in the 20-team tournament following the ICC’s decision to replace Bangladesh with Scotland after Bangladesh refused to tour India.
