T20 World Cup 2026: Haris Rauf Dropped as Pakistan Announce Squad

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Sunday announced a 15-member squad for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, scheduled to begin on February 7. Notably, fast bowler Haris Rauf has been excluded from the squad, despite last featuring for Pakistan in T20 internationals in September last year.

The squad was revealed during a press conference at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium, attended by PCB Director High Performance and national selection committee member Aqib Javed, Pakistan T20I captain Salman Ali Agha, and white-ball head coach Michael Hesson.

Salman Ali Agha will lead the side, while Faheem Ashraf, Khawaja Mohammad Nafay, Mohammad Salman Mirza, and Usman Tariq have earned their first-ever call-ups for a major ICC event. Meanwhile, experienced players including Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, and Usman Khan have previously featured in at least one T20 World Cup since 2021.

Mohammad Rizwan, who has been out of the national T20 setup since December 2024, will miss his first T20 World Cup after appearances in the 2021, 2022, and 2024 editions.

Explaining Haris Rauf’s omission, Aqib Javed said, “We are playing our matches in Sri Lanka, and we finalised the squad based on the conditions there.” He added that while Rauf had served Pakistan for a long time, the management opted for a different combination.

On Babar Azam’s inclusion, Javed stated, “definitely, he is the most consistent batsman,” adding that Babar has a specific role suited to challenging conditions in Sri Lanka.

Addressing Rizwan’s exclusion, Michael Hesson explained, “Rizwan is a top-order batter, and there is no spot in that role for a wicket-keeper.” He also praised Usman Khan, calling his recent performances “exceptional” and highlighting his improved wicketkeeping.

Pakistan will play all their matches in Sri Lanka under the ICC’s ‘Fusion Formula’. The team will open their campaign against the Netherlands on February 7 in Colombo and has been placed in Group A alongside India, the USA, Namibia, and the Netherlands.

Pakistan Squad:

Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Mohammad Nafay (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan (wk), Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan (wk), Usman Tariq.