Pakistan has named 30-year-old Sahibzada Farhan as captain for the upcoming T20I series against Sri Lanka, which begins on October 9. This decision marks a leadership transition in the shortest format, with Farhan replacing Salman Ali Agha, who led the team during the T20 World Cup but has been excluded from the 15-man squad for this tour. Agha is not part of the 15-member contingent that’ll take on Sri Lanka starting on October 9.
Farhan’s elevation follows his impressive performance at the T20 World Cup, where he was the tournament’s top scorer with 383 runs, and his recent role leading Pakistan to a silver medal at the Asian Games. The selection committee has retained several players from the Asian Games squad, including Abdul Samad, Saim Ayub, Hasan Nawaz, Arafat Minhas, Maaz Sadaqat, Abrar Ahmed, Sufiyan Moqim, and Mohammad Salman Mirza.
Despite his new T20I captaincy role, Farhan was omitted from the 16-member ODI squad led by Shaheen Shah Afridi. This ODI side is slated to compete against Sri Lanka and England in a tri-series, serving as preparation for next year’s World Cup. Notably, the ODI setup has moved on from several players who participated in the series win against Australia in January, with Abdul Samad, Rohail Nazir, Shamyl Hussain, Maaz Sadaqat, and Ahmed Daniyal being dropped.
The ODI squad sees the return of Fakhar Zaman, Faheem Ashraf, Razaullah, Saad Baig, and Saim Ayub, alongside Hasan Nawaz, who previously contributed a notable 96 in the Asian Games final against India. The tri-series is scheduled to commence on October 18, featuring a double round-robin format before the top two teams contest the final on October 31 at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.
