Pakistan name T20 World Cup 2026 squad as Babar Azam returns despite participation doubts

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced its 15-member squad for the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, even as doubts continue to hang over their participation in the tournament following recent developments involving Bangladesh.

The squad was announced on Sunday, January 25, during a press conference at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. The media briefing was attended by PCB Director High Performance and national selector Aqib Javed, T20I captain Salman Ali Agha, and white-ball head coach Mike Hesson.

Pakistan are placed in Group A alongside archrivals India and are scheduled to begin their campaign against the Netherlands on February 7 in Colombo. The 20-team tournament will run from February 7 to March 8, with each team playing four group matches before the Super Eight and knockout stages.

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The biggest talking point from the squad announcement was the return of former captain Babar Azam, who makes his comeback to the setup for the T20 World Cup. Babar had missed the 2025 Asia Cup T20 in the UAE last year after being dropped from the side over poor form.

Pakistan will also play a three-match T20I series against Australia at the Gaddafi Stadium on January 29, 31 and February 1 as part of their World Cup preparations. The team’s training camp has already begun in Lahore.

However, the squad announcement comes amid uncertainty over Pakistan’s final participation in the World Cup. PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who has openly supported Bangladesh after the ICC replaced them with Scotland for refusing to play in India due to security concerns, has threatened to boycott the tournament.

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Naqvi has criticised the ICC for “double standards” and said Pakistan’s final decision will be taken at the government level once Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif returns from abroad. Despite these developments, the PCB has gone ahead with announcing the squad, suggesting that they are going to play not matter what.

Pakistan have a history of making such threats. Even during the Asia Cup 2025, after India refused to shake hands with their players, Pakistan threatened to pull out of the tournament. The PCB asked the team to stay at the hotel ahead of their match against the UAE if the ICC did not take action against one of the referees.

When the ICC refused to act against the referee, whom Pakistan accused of being biased towards India, and the PCB realised they could forfeit the match if they did not play against the UAE, the board instructed the team to travel to the stadium. The PCB then issued a statement saying the referee had apologised, following which they agreed to take the field.

Meanwhile, the ICC has reportedly threatened to sanction the PCB if it pulls out of the T20 World Cup.

Pakistan’s squad for the T20 World Cup

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) and Usman Tariq.