Pakistan have recently announced their squad for Sri Lanka t20i series with all the three t20is are scheduled to play at Dambulla International Stadium, Srilanka. Pakistan named uncapped wicket keeper batsmen Khawaja Nafay in this squad. Khawaja Nafay is an exciting player to watch out. He plays with aggressive intent and has some unique and good looking shots. He is a good player of spin which is required in Sri Lanka conditions. But one month before the big t20 world cup, calling an uncapped batsmen is a strange thing specially when teams are looking for best combination and best playing 11 for world cup.
Pakistan Squad:
Fakhar Zaman, Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan(wk), Salman Ali Agha(C), Usman Khan(wk), Shadab Khan, Muhammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah, Abrar Ahmad, Usman Tariq, Abdul Samad, Wasim Jr, Khawaja Nafay(wk).
Shadab Khan's Inclusion
With the inclusion of Shadab Khan, fans are criticizing the selectors because after Shadab Khan's injury, he did not play any domestic tournament. He just featured in Big Bash League for some matches. His performance in BBL was quite impressive. But the selection procedure must depend on domestic circuit. Shadab has not played many matches in recent times, but his all-round performance is very impressive. Selectors have shown interest in his selection and it seems like he will also serve Pakistan in the upcoming t20 world cup. He is an experienced all-rounder and should do well in the upcoming series.
Salman Ali Agha Captaincy
Recently, some news were circulating regarding Salman Ali Agha's captaincy that he may not remain as captain in the upcoming series. But PCB trusted him and give him a chance till the world cup. He is also short of runs and also under criticism for his strike rate. As a captain, he needs to improve his strike rate and also need to score runs in the upcoming series. Although he is a fine player and can add value in Pakistan team and his Captaincy in recent time is brilliant. He is still young and learning some things but overall he is a good player.
Absence of Experienced Players
Some Experienced players like Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Afridi are missing out from this squad because currently they are presenting themselves in BBL. These players are most likely to be included in world cup squad. But not adding these names in this series is strange because in my opinion national duty should be prioritized over franchise cricket. But PCB is giving an opportunity to young players but before one month of mega event, this is not the right time to include young players.
Khawaja Nafay and Abdul Samad
Khawaja Nafay will make his debut for Pakistan team in this series. He is an exciting player to watch out but I think this is not the right time to include a young player in team. On the other hand, Pakistan is also carrying another youngster Abdul Samad whose role will be power hitting. But his lack of experience in international cricket is a concern. I think Pakistan could consider Hassan Nawaz instead of Abdul Samad. Abdul Samad is a very good power hitter and has potential to serve Pakistan for long time but again it is not good to add a new player just before world cup.
Usman Tariq's Inclusion
Usman Tariq is a young slow arm spinner. His action is very unique and difficult to pick for batters. Pakistan was carrying Sufiyan Muqim in the previous series and he perform well recently in domestic and he has also more experience than Usman Tariq. Usman Tariq also took hattrick in the previous series for Pakistan. So it is a difficult task for selectors to select one of them for the world cup. In my opinion, Sufiyan Muqim should give priority because he is more experienced and played more matches in recent time. But on the other hand, Usman Tariq also has potential to take crucial wickets in crucial time because of his variations and unique action.
Pakistan's Wicket Keeper
Recently Pakistan is struggling in wicket keeper's selection. In Asia Cup 2025, Muhammad Haris served Pakistan as a wicket keeper. He is a fine wicket keeper but his form was concerning due to which he is dropped and now for this series Pakistan have added three wicket keepers. They all do not have much experience in wicket keeping but we hope for the best. I think Pakistan should consider Usman Khan for long term wicket keeper and for world cup as well.
Conclusion:
All the regular players are performing well such as Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Muhammad Nawaz, Salman Mirza, Faheem Ashraf and Pakistan will need their performance in the upcoming event. They are now much aware of spin conditions and fans are hoping for their good performance and they should perform well. This Pakistan team is looking balanced but there is only one problem which is not choosing right names at right time. We wish Pakistan all the best for the series. What you think about this selection, do let us know in comments.