Pakistan squad for T20 World Cup 2026: Strengths, weaknesses, best playing XI & more

Pakistan have announced their 15-member squad for the T20 World Cup 2026, which begins on February 7 in India and Sri Lanka. Led by Salman Ali Agha, the squad is a mix of young and aggressive batters with experienced bowlers, especially pace and spin options suited for conditions in the subcontinent.

Pakistan are set to start their campaign on the opening day of the World Cup against the Netherlands in Colombo. The Men in Green will play all their matches in Sri Lanka as part of a hybrid model agreement with the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

One of the biggest talking points is the inclusion of former captain Babar Azam. Babar has been in and out of the T20I side recently and did not have a great run in Australia’s Big Bash League. Despite that, selectors have backed his experience, hoping he can regain form at the World Cup.

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Meanwhile, where Babar will bat in the order will be interesting to see, as Pakistan had tried to move away from traditional anchors and focus more on high strike-rate batting during the ACC Asia Cup 2025, which the former skipper missed due to a poor record in the format.

Pakistan squad: Salman Agha (c), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Nafay, Mohammad Nawaz, Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan, Usman Tariq

Pakistan team’s strengths

Pakistan’s strongest area remains their bowling, especially pace. Shaheen Shah Afridi will once again lead the attack, with Naseem Shah providing support from the other end. They give Pakistan a strong chance of picking up early wickets, which will be very important for teams in this World Cup if they want to restrict the opponents to a low score.

Meanwhile, the absence of Haris Rauf has surprised many, but his tendency to leak runs at the death may have worked against him during selection. He was one of the key reasons why Pakistan lost the Asia Cup final against India last year.

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Spin is another major focus for Pakistan in this squad. Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Abrar Ahmed and Usman Tariq give the team plenty of options depending on pitch conditions. This spin-heavy approach makes sense for Sri Lankan conditions, where slow bowlers are expected to play a big role in the middle overs.

Pakistan team’s weaknesses

There are some clear weaknesses in this Pakistan team. The middle order lacks proven finishers, with most of their players unable to take on the bowlers when required. Another problem is the consistency of Pakistan’s batters, which could be an issue when posting or chasing big totals.

Death bowling is another concern for Pakistan, with a lot of responsibility falling on Shaheen in the final overs in the recent past, and he has not been able to handle the pressure well. If Shaheen and Naseem fail to contain batters in the final overs, it could prove costly, especially against teams that have big hitters.

Meanwhile, another major concern for Pakistan is the lack of clear role definition in the squad. This ambiguity has often hurt the team in big moments. All players who are likely to feature in the playing XI must clearly understand their roles and when and how their skills will be utilised.

Pakistan’s predicted playing XI

The best possible playing XI could see Saim Ayub and Sahibzada Farhan opening, followed by Babar Azam and Fakhar Zaman. Captain Salman Ali Agha, Shadab Khan and Mohammad Nawaz would handle the middle overs, while Faheem Ashraf as a seam-bowling all-rounder.

Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah and either Abrar Ahmed or Usman Tariq would complete the attack, depending on the pitch.

Pakistan’s predicted playing XI: Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan (wk), Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Salman Ali Agha (c), Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Abrar Ahmed/Usman Tariq  

Pakistan’s T20 World Cup 2026 schedule