Pakistan pick Sahibzada Farhan to lead Asian Games cricket squad

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan have named a 15-member men’s cricket squad for the Asian Games 2026, with Sahibzada Farhan appointed captain for the tournament in Japan from September 19 to October 4.

According to details carried by Express Tribune, the 10-team men’s T20I competition will be staged at Korogi Athletic Park in Aichi Prefecture. The cricket event is scheduled to begin on September 24, while the medal matches will be played on October 3.

Farhan, 30, has featured in 46 T20 Internationals for Pakistan and has scored 1,305 runs, including two centuries and 10 half-centuries. Abdul Samad, who has represented Pakistan in five T20Is, has been named vice-captain.

Four members of the squad — Akif Javed, Ali Raza, Maaz Sadaqat and Saad Masood — are yet to make their T20I debut for Pakistan. 14 of the 15 selected players are also part of the National Cricket Academy white-ball camp, which is due to start in Lahore on Monday, June 15.

Squad and support staff

The squad includes Sahibzada Farhan (captain), Abdul Samad (vice-captain), Abrar Ahmed, Ahmed Daniyal, Akif Javed, Ali Raza, Arafat Minhas, Haider Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Maaz Sadaqat, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Saad Masood, Saim Ayub, Sufyan Moqim and Usman Khan (wicket-keeper).

The support staff comprises Mike Hesson as head coach, Ashley Noffke as bowling coach, Shane McDermott as fielding coach, Muhammad Tahir as physiotherapist, Imran Ullah as trainer, and Usman Hashmi as analyst-cum-team operations coordinator.

Women’s team to visit Sri Lanka

Separately, Pakistan’s women’s team will travel to Sri Lanka for a six-match white-ball series in Hambantota later next month. All fixtures are scheduled to be held at the Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium.

The three One-day Internationals, set for July 23, 25 and 28, will count towards the ICC Women’s Championship 2025-29. Pakistan are currently second in the standings with eight points after winning four of their six matches. New Zealand lead the table with 13 points, having played three more matches than Pakistan.

The tour will also include three T20 Internationals on July 31, August 2 and August 4. Both Pakistan and Sri Lanka are currently in the United Kingdom for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, which begins on June 12.

In women’s T20Is between the two sides, Pakistan have won 11 of their 21 matches against Sri Lanka, who have won nine, while one game ended without a result. In ODIs, the teams have met 34 times, with Pakistan winning 11 and Sri Lanka 22; one match ended in no result.