New Delhi, 10 June (H.S.):

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced its men’s cricket squad for the 2026 Asian Games, scheduled to be held in Aichi–Nagoya, Japan, during September and October. Experienced batter Sahibzada Farhan has been appointed captain of the side, while Abdul Samad will serve as vice-captain.

Farhan has represented Pakistan in 46 Twenty20 Internationals and will lead the national team in a limited-overs format for the first time in his career.

The 15-member squad includes four players who are yet to make their T20 International debut for Pakistan. They are Aqif Javed, Ali Raza, Maaz Sadaqat and Saad Masood.

Usman Khan has been entrusted with wicketkeeping duties.

Pakistan has opted for a relatively young and experimental squad for the continental event. Several prominent players who recently featured in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup have not been included. Regular captain Salman Ali Agha, along with key players Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi and Shadab Khan, are among those omitted from the squad.

Fourteen of the 15 selected players are currently part of the National Cricket Academy’s limited-overs training camp, which is scheduled to begin in Lahore on June 15.

The men’s cricket competition at the 2026 Asian Games will commence on September 24, with the medal matches set to be played on October 3.

Cricket has previously featured in the Asian Games on three occasions — in 2010, 2014 and 2022. Pakistan finished fourth in the most recent edition of the tournament.

Pakistan Squad for the 2026 Asian Games:

Sahibzada Farhan (Captain), Abdul Samad (Vice-Captain), Abrar Ahmed, Ahmed Daniyal, Aqif Javed, Ali Raza, Arafat Minhas, Haider Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Maaz Sadaqat, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Saad Masood, Saim Ayub, Sufiyan Muqeem and Usman Khan (Wicketkeeper).

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar