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Opening batter Sahibzada Farhan will captain Pakistan at the Asian Games in Japan this year. The tournament, which will be played from September 19 to October 3, sees Pakistan feature a relatively young side, with four first-time call-ups to a national side.
The most notable new inclusion is fast bowler Ali Raza, who has been knocking at the door with stellar performances in the PSL over the past two seasons, as well as a sensational showing at the Under-19 Asia Cup last year, where 4 for 42 in the final helped Pakistan beat India to lift the trophy. Maaz Sadaqat and Saad Masood, both of whom have represented Pakistan in ODI cricket, have also made then 15-member squad, while Saim Ayub, Sufiyan Moqim, Abrar Ahmed and Usman Khan are among the senior players who will feature in the side. Abdul Samad, who has only played five T20Is, is vice-captain.
With Pakistan playing far fewer T20Is this year as compared to 2025, it potentially represents an opportunity to push for a call-up into the regular T20I side. That is perhaps truer for Hasan Nawaz than anyone else, who fell dramatically out of favour after a disappointing Asia Cup last year, and has not played for Pakistan since November. He is one of the more seasoned player in the side, as is Haider Ali, who has a similar game style and has experienced a similar T20I career pattern with Pakistan, shining early on before fading away.
Pakistan had a disappointing campaign at the last Asian Games in China, where they lost to Afghanistan in the semi-final before failing to make it to the podium altogether after losing to Bangladesh in the bronze medal game.
Pakistan squad: Sahibzada Farhan (capt), Abdul Samad, 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, Usman Khan (wk)
