Babar, Agha and Five Others Miss Out of Pakistan T20I Squad

Pakistan have made a sizeable reshuffle to their T20I setup, with Babar Azam dropped alongside six other players for the upcoming three-match series against Sri Lanka.

The seven players missing from the squad are Babar, former T20I captain Salman Ali Agha, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan and Usman Tariq. The changes mark a clear shift from the group Pakistan took to the 2026 T20 World Cup earlier this year.

The biggest change comes at the top. Salman Ali Agha has lost the T20I captaincy after leading Pakistan in the format, with Sahibzada Farhan now handed the role. Farhan recently captained Pakistan at the Asian Games, where the side won the silver medal after losing the final to India.

Babar's omission is another notable call. The former Pakistan captain remains in the national setup, but only for the ODI tri-series involving England and Sri Lanka. Shaheen Shah Afridi is also following the same split, staying on as ODI captain while missing the T20I squad.

Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Usman Khan and Usman Tariq have also been left out of the 15-member T20I group. Nawaz's absence is particularly notable after he was part of Pakistan's World Cup squad. Usman Khan had also featured in that tournament squad.

The new-look group brings several younger players into the picture. Hasan Nawaz returns after scoring 96 against India in the Asian Games final, while fast bowler Naseem Shah is back in the T20I setup. Razaullah has also earned his first white-ball call-up after making an impact on his Test debut against England.

Arafat Minhas, Maaz Sadaqat, Muhammad Imran Randhawa and Sufiyan Moqim are also part of the squad, alongside established names such as Fakhar Zaman, Saim Ayub, Shadab Khan and Abrar Ahmed.

The Pakistan T20I squad will face Sri Lanka at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on October 9, 11 and 13. The series will be Farhan's first assignment as T20I captain and gives Pakistan an early chance to test a significantly different combination.

There is an important distinction, though. Babar and Salman have not been completely discarded from Pakistan's white-ball plans. Both remain in the ODI squad for the tri-series, while Shaheen continues as ODI captain.

That leaves the T20 setup looking considerably younger and more experimental than the side selected for the World Cup. The decision also gives Farhan and a group of emerging players a bigger role as Pakistan begin looking beyond their previous T20 combination.