Key Points
• Four senior players dropped from Sri Lanka T20Is due to overseas league duties
• ICC says series is a crucial step in Pakistan’s T20 World Cup build-up
• Drops open door for new faces, including uncapped Khawaja Nafay
• Management using a series to finalise the core group for the February tournament
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s preparations for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup will gather pace without several of their biggest names as Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Rizwan and Haris Rauf miss next month’s three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka.
According to the ICC, the quartet will be unavailable primarily due to their participation in Australia’s Big Bash League, forcing selectors to opt for a reshaped squad as Pakistan look to fine-tune combinations ahead of the global event starting on February 7.
The absence of Babar, Rizwan and Shaheen removes the backbone of Pakistan’s recent T20 setup, placing added responsibility on a new leadership group headed by Salman Ali Agha. The selectors have responded by blending experience with experimentation, handing uncapped wicketkeeper-batter Khawaja Nafay a maiden call-up and recalling all-rounder Shadab Khan.
An ICC preview described the Sri Lanka series as a key phase in Pakistan’s World Cup planning, noting that the management intends to use the matches to finalise its playing group. Pakistan are placed in Group B of the tournament alongside India, Namibia, Netherlands and the United States, making early cohesion a priority.
Cricket analysts say the enforced omissions could benefit Pakistan in the longer term, offering fringe players sustained exposure at the international level. Players such as Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan and Usman Khan are expected to play prominent roles in the team management assessment of depth beyond the established core.
The three T20Is will be played in Dambulla on January 7, 9 and 11, providing Pakistan with their final competitive window before World Cup preparations enter the decisive phase.
