Pakistan’s Preliminary 2026 WC Squad – A possible look at who could make the cut

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With less than 50 days remaining for the 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup, there’s not much cricket left for Pakistan to take a look at their possible combination for the event. And it seems that there’s not much thinking that needs to be done on who could cut. Here’s our Pakistan’s Preliminary 2026 WC Squad.

According to the Future Tour Programme (FTP), Pakistan are scheduled to play three more T20Is against Sri Lanka. Then there’s no cricket until the event’s first fixture, Pakistan vs Netherlands on February 7. Meanwhile, cricket leagues such as the Big Bash and the International League (ILT20) feature Pakistani players representing their franchises.

ILT20 will be concluded on January 4, and the BBL on January 25. Six Pakistan players are representing the BBL, while three are in ILT20. In between, the Bangladesh Premier League and South Africa’s T20 League, SA20, will both begin on the same day on December 26. BPL will conclude on January 23, while SA20 will conclude at the same time as BBL.

There’s plenty of league cricket going around, which means work for the Pakistan players to showcase their performance and hope to get picked for the world event. However, the provisional squads must be submitted before January 8.

Also Read: ICC Announced Men’s T20WC 2026 Schedule

Pakistan’s Preliminary 2026 WC Squad – Whose likely to make the cut?

First, we can add the names which will be obvious to be picked immediately without a thought:

1. Salman Ali Agha – Captain
2. Shaheen Afridi
3. Mohammad Nawaz
4. Sahibzada Farhan
5. Faheem Ashraf
6. Abrar Ahmed
7. Haris Rauf
8. Saim Ayub

Now, we move on to the rest of the picks. 

We will start with the batters. This section starts with a big question: Is Babar Azam needed for the event?

And it is a big question indeed. He may be the leading run-scorer across international T20 cricket, but he has a very poor strike rate in T20 World Cups. His SR of 111 is really poor, even for an anchor. This year, he is striking at 114 while playing only eight games. In three of those games, he registered ducks, and all too similar.

To wrap him around in the event is an ask. And currently, his BBL hasn’t been all that impressive, with scores of 2, 9 and 58. Not to mention the SR of 121.

Other batters include Fakhar Zaman, Hassan Nawaz and Hussain Talat. Fakhar and Hassan had a decent year in T20Is. However, their current performance in ILT20 is subpar, with Fakhar’s record being 18.33 (AVE) and 122.22 SR, while Hassan’s is12.37 (AVE) and 117.85 SR. But both can still make it, giving both a chance to attack rather than going into the shell. Hussain, however, won’t seem to make it. He marked his return in T20Is this year, but had scored only 47 runs and taken three wickets across five games.

Next up, we look into the wicket-keepers.

Generally, there’s not much to talk about. Sahibzada Farhan is a keeper himself. So even if Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Haris or Usman Khan do not make the cut, Farhan can keep.

But for big events, you need a proper designated keeper. While Haris is a power hitter of the ball, and Usman is a better striker, Rizwan is far better in terms of wicket-keeping. And on bigger occasions, Rizwan proved time and time again why a proper keeper is necessary. 

Haris’ fumbled in the Asia Cup has cost Pakistan the final against India, reprieving Tilak Verma. It was a major moment in the game as Verma guided India to the title.

All three will be considered, that is for sure. But only one is likely to make the final 15, and it seems to be Haris. Although it will be a big surprise if neither of them makes the final squad.

Coming to the fast bowlers, we have a few names to fill for Shaheen, Haris and Faheem.

Recently, two bowlers have been under consideration. Salman Mirza and Hassan Ali have had a great year, with both taking 16 wickets (16 ave, 6.3 ECO) and 12 wickets (18 ave, 10 ECO). 

Others who could make the squad despite not much of a performance to show are Naseem Shah and Mohammad Wasim Jnr. Naseem is not having a great ILT20, taking five wickets in as many games and taking four in three matches in T20Is. While Wasim Jnr had played only one T20I match throughout the year. 

Wasim Jnr was still Pakistan’s 2nd-best pace bowler in the 2022 T20 World Cup and the third-best bowler, but with far better economy in the 2023 ODI World Cup. And he seems to execute his yorkers far better than the current batch of bowlers. He had a decent PSL as well this year, going about seven-and-a-half per over.

And on Sri Lankan wickets, where reverse swing is always in play, Naseem and Wasim could be in the preliminary squad. 

Also Read: What made Pakistan come out victorious in the Tri-Series?

Finally, for the last section, and a very important one, Spin Bowlers.

Mohammad Nawaz and Abrar Ahmed are easy picks. They are Pakistan’s top two wicket-takers this year. Saim chipped in with 21 scalps add a good combination for the other two.

So, who are the rest to be part of the group?

There’s Sufiyan Muqeem, the left-arm leg-spinner. He has been really impressive and can play a big part in the tournament. Besides him is a recently debuted Usman Tariq, an off-spinner. Usman has a really good record in Twenty20 cricket, averaging at 17 and an economy of just under seven. 

More than this, the biggest call is the return of Shadab Khan from injury. Currently enjoying a fruitful BBL, Shadab is expecting an immediate return. This was supported by Captain Salman Ali Agha. But this has met with a mix of criticisms.

Shadab has had poor form since 2023 across both white-ball cricket. In ODIs, he averages 21 with the bat and 49 with the ball. In T20Is, he averages 16 with the bat and 44 with the ball. He has picked up only five wickets in his last 10 innings.

There was a spark on whether he should be included. His bowling was a major concern. He could not even bowl on a proper line and length, with fans dubbing him “full-tosser Khan” after his full tosses became all too regular.

But there was a change in him after his return from injury. He is representing the Sydney Thunders in the BBL and so far has shown massive improvement. In three games, he has scored 75 runs at a strike rate of 136 and taken six wickets at an average of 15.

https://twitter.com/BBL/status/2003065093232144826/video/1

This reopened Shadab’s selection for the shortest ICC format. In fact, Shadab has taken seven wickets in the 2021 edition and 11 in the 2022 edition, both times being Pakistan’s leading wicket-taker. His only poor tournament came in the 2024 event, where he failed to pick a wicket in two innings out of four matches he bowled.

So there’s a big chance that he could be the only player to be included for the final 15 alongside Abrar and Nawaz.

The Final look at the preliminary squad, featuring a 21-man squad, will look like this at the moment:

BattersWicket-KeepersFast BowlersSpin BowlersBabar AzamMohammad HarisShaheen AfridiShadab KhanSalman Ali AghaMohammad RizwanHaris RaufMohammad NawazSaim AyubUsman KhanFaheem AshrafAbrar AhmedFakhar ZamanSalman MirzaUsman TariqHassan NawazWasim JnrSahibzada FarhanNaseem ShahHassan Ali

Based on recent performances and their impacts, predicting the final 15 to look like this:

1. Salman Ali Agha (Capt.)
2. Babar Azam
3. Saim Ayub
4. Fakhar Zaman
5. Hassan Nawaz
6. Sahibzada Farhan
7. Mohammad Haris
8. Shadab Khan
9. Mohammad Nawaz
10. Abrar Ahmed
11. Shaheen Afridi
12. Haris Rauf
13. Faheem Ashraf
14. Salman Mirza
15. Wasim Jnr

Pakistan are placed in Group A alongside India, Namibia, the Netherlands, and the USA. They will begin their tournament against the Dutch on February 7.

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