Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi are back in the T20 International squad as the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced the 15-member squad for the 3-match T20I series against Australia, starting on January 29. Ahead of the series, the board has announced the squad without mentioning star pacer Haris Rauf and Mohammad Rizwan’s names.
Ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026, Pakistan is all set to host Australia for a 3-match Twenty20 series. Ahead of the elite tournament, the PCB is yet to finalize the World Cup team. The T20I series, which will be from January 29 to February 1, will be the last contest for both of the teams before the World Cup.
Surprising names in Pakistan T20I squad
Because of multiple franchise leagues, including the Indian Premier League (IPL), Australian internationals are well aware of the subcontinental conditions, which will be beneficial for them during the T20 World Cup. Additionally, the bilateral T20 series with Pakistan will provide them a good stage for preparations.
The 15-member team PCB announced has surprised a part of cricket fans, as multiple star names are not in the squad list. The snub of pacer Haris Rauf from the team was one of the major steps taken by the Pakistan cricket team officials.
Eyes will be on Pakistan batting superstar Babar Azam
On the other side, batters like Babar Azam and Saim Ayub, who have been struggling on the international stage, were named in the team. Though it is necessary to remember that the board is yet to declare their final team for the T20 World Cup.
Babar Azam made his Big Bash League (BBL) debut in the ongoing season. The star batter of Pakistan smashed 50s with the Sydney Sixers but attracted a lot of criticism because of his low strike rate, which is not suitable in this format, where most of the batters are used to bat, maintaining a strong strike rate. Despite ups and downs in the recent past, Azam’s inclusion in the team was a surprising decision by the Pakistan team selectors.
Eyes will be on Shaheen Afridi as well. Like Babar, the star pacer also made his BBL debut in this season. His stint with the Brisbane Heat was suddenly cut short because of an injury he received on December 27. Since then, he has been in a phase of recovery.
Ahead of the T20 World Cup, the injury of Afridi caused a bit of concern for the cricket team. After the announcement of the T20 squad, the pacer seems all set to be back in action again.
Pakistan T20 squad for Australia series:
Salman Ali Agha, Abrar Ahmad, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Nafay Nawaz, Salman Mirza, Wasim Jr., Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Usman Khan, and Usman Tariq.
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