Key points
- Agha’s leadership sees 17 wins from 29
- Babar Azam, Naseem Shah return to team
- Pakistan prepares for T20 World Cup 2026
RAWALPINDI: Pakistan’s T20I captain, Salman Ali Agha, confirmed that the national team will continue with an aggressive approach to cricket in the lead-up to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, which will be held in India and Sri Lanka in February and March.
Following a disappointing T20 World Cup 2024 campaign, Pakistan shifted their approach to modern-day aggressive cricket, resulting in Agha’s captaincy and the removal of senior players like Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan. Under Agha’s leadership, the team has won 17 out of 29 matches, with mixed results.
Pakistan’s latest T20 appearance was at the ACC Men’s T20 Asia Cup 2025, where they lost to India three times, including in the final. This setback led to the inclusion of experienced players like Babar Azam and Naseem Shah, sparking speculation about a potential shift in strategy.
However, addressing the media in Rawalpindi ahead of Pakistan’s three-match T20I series against South Africa, Agha firmly rejected these claims, reaffirming the team’s commitment to their current approach.
Bowling first
“Our strategy is to analyse the stats of each ground and aim to exceed the par score by 15 runs when batting,” Agha explained. “When bowling first, we aim to restrict the opposition below the par score, which benefits our batting unit.”
Pakistan will further prepare for the 2026 T20 World Cup with the series against South Africa. The remaining two matches will take place in Lahore on October 31 and November 1.
Pakistan’s squad for the series includes Salman Ali Agha (c), Abdul Samad, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Nawaz, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan (wk), and Usman Tariq.
