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The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) declares their squad for the Asian Games 2026. Like the Indian cricket board (BCCI), PCB has also decided to send a full-strength team to Japan to stay relevant in the title race.
Mohsin Naqvi-led PCB has appointed Sahibzada Farhan as the captain of the team, and Abdul Samad as his deputy. While the squad contains stars like Farhan, Samad, Saim Ayub, Abrar Ahmed, and many others, there is no Babar Azam or Shaheen Afridi.
Sahibzada Farhan to lead the team in the Asian Games 2026
Along with the experienced players, there are multiple emerging talents as well in the team, who are yet to play their first T20I match for the national side. Among the 15-member squad, Akif Javed, Ali Raza, Maaz Sadaqat, and Saad Masood are the four players yet to represent Pakistan in the T20I format.
On June 10, PCB, in their official media release, informs, “Sahibzada Farhan will lead the Pakistan Men’s Team in the Asian Games 2026, set to take place in Aichi-Nagoya in Japan from 19 September to 4 October. The 10-team Men’s T20I event will be played at Korogi Athletic Park in Aichi Prefecture.”
“Additionally, 14 of the 15 players selected for the Asian Games squad are part of the NCA White-Ball Camp, which is set to commence in Lahore from Monday, 15 June,” it added.
This year's Asian Games is going to be more exciting as the teams have decided to field some of the top-tier talents in the field. In the tournament, there is expected to be an India vs Pakistan match, which will be electrifying if both of the teams choose to go with their strongest possible playing eleven for the match in Japan.
Shibazada Farhan vs Jasprit Bumrah rivalry
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has named Jasprit Bumrah in India's Asian Games 2026 team. Once again, cricket fans will be able to witness the rivalry between Jasprit Bumrah and Sahibzada Farhan.
Bumrah had a proud record of never being hit for a maximum in the T20 Internationals. That record was broken during the Asia Cup 2025 as Pakistan's opener Shibazada Farhan smashed the Indian pace spearhead for multiple sixes and became the first batter to break that record.
Farhan, 30, has so far played 46 T20Is for Pakistan, scoring 1,305 runs, including two centuries and 10 half-centuries, while his deputy for the Asian Games, Abdul Samad, has played only a few matches in the format so far. Samad has experience playing in only 5 T20Is.
Pakistan’s 15-member squad for the Asian Games 2026:
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, and 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)
