Pakistan names T20 squad for upcoming Australia series 2026

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced a 16-member squad for the upcoming three-match T20 International series against Australia, set to take place at Gaddafi Stadium. The matches are scheduled for January 29 and 31, and February 1, with all games starting at 4:00 PM Pakistan Standard Time.

Salman Ali Agha will lead the team as captain, while Shadab Khan continues his comeback and is expected to play a key role in a spin attack that also features Abrar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, and Usman Tariq. Former captain Babar Azam and fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi return to the squad after missing Pakistan’s recent T20 series against Sri Lanka, which ended in a 1–1 draw.

The 16-member Pakistan squad is as follows:

Salman Ali Agha (c)
Abrar Ahmed
Babar Azam
Faheem Ashraf
Fakhar Zaman
Khawaja Mohammad Nafay (wk)
Mohammad Nawaz
Mohammad Salman Mirza
Mohammad Wasim Jr
Naseem Shah
Sahibzada Farhan (wk)
Usman Khan (wk)
Shaheen Shah Afridi
Shadab Khan
Saim Ayub
Usman Tariq
The squad and support personnel will assemble in Lahore on Saturday, with preparations beginning the following day. Australia is set to arrive in Pakistan on January 28 for their second T20I series on Pakistani soil, following a single T20I at Gaddafi Stadium in April 2022. This series serves as a crucial warm-up for both teams ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, scheduled in India and Sri Lanka from February 7 to March 8.

For the T20 World Cup, Pakistan is drawn in Group A alongside India, the USA, the Netherlands, and Namibia, while Australia will compete in Group B with Sri Lanka, Ireland, Zimbabwe, and Oman. Historically, Pakistan and Australia have faced each other 28 times in T20Is, with Australia winning 14 matches, Pakistan 12, one match ending in a tie, and one producing no result.

This series will be Australia’s third visit to Pakistan since March–April 2022, when they played a historic Test series, followed by ODIs and T20Is, including three matches of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 held in Pakistan.