Salman Ali Agha has been removed from the position of captain of the Pakistan men's T20I team. Sahibzada Farhan will take his place in the upcoming three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka, which starts on Friday in Rawalpindi.
In addition to being relieved of his captaincy, Salman has also been dropped from the T20I squad. Pakistan has announced its squad for the series against Sri Lanka, as well as for the three-match ODI series involving Sri Lanka and England.
The 'Men in Green' team has not shown impressive results under Salman's leadership, including a loss in last year's Asia Cup final to India and failing to reach the semi-finals of the 2026 T20 World Cup.
Recently, Sahibzada led the Pakistan team to a silver medal at the Asian Games, losing to the 'Men in Blue'. Meanwhile, Naseem Shah has returned to the squad after his last appearance at the 2026 T20 World Cup. Razullah, a hero for Pakistan in the third Test match against England, received his first white-ball call-ups in both squads.
The squad has undergone several changes compared to the team that participated in the T20 World Cup. Former captain Babar Azam is also not included in the T20I squad for this series, while some players who performed well in the Asian Games have been supported.
Hasan Nawaz, who played strongly with 96 against India in the Asia Cup final, retained his spot. Before the Aichi-Nagoya Games, he last played T20I in November 2025. Abdul Samad, Mazad Sakkat, Arafat Minhaj, and Sufiyan Mukim were also included in the squad following their performances at the Asian Games, having not been part of the World Cup squad.
Shahid Afridi was also not included in the T20I series; however, he captains the team in the ODI format for the three-match series starting on October 18 in Rawalpindi. Salman was included in the ODI squad after being moved from the T20I captaincy.
This series also marked the return of Shaun Tait to the Pakistan bowling coaching staff after holding the position since February 2022 for a year.
Pakistan's T20I squad for the series against Sri Lanka includes: Sahibzada Farhan (captain), Abdul Samad, Abrar Ahmed, Arafat Minhaj, Fakhar Zaman, Hasan Nawaz, Muhammad Imran Randava, Hawwad Najaf (wicketkeeper), Mazad Sakkat, Naseem Shah, Razullah, Saima Ayub, Muhammad Salman Mirza, Shadab Khan, Sufiyan Mukim.
Pakistan's ODI squad for the three-match series includes: Shahid Shah Afridi (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Salman Ali Agha, Arafat Minhaj, Babar Azam, Fahim Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Muhammad Ghazi Gori (wicketkeeper), Haris Rauf, Hasan Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Razullah, Saad Baig (wicketkeeper), Saima Ayub, Shadab Khan, Sufiyan Mukim.