Islamabad: The musical chairs of captaincy in Pakistan cricket continues, as the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced yet another major leadership shakeup. Ahead of the upcoming home series, Salman Ali Agha has been stripped of the T20 International captaincy and entirely dropped from the shortest format’s squad.
The PCB has appointed right-handed opener Sahibzada Farhan as the new T20I captain for the three-match home series against Sri Lanka. Farhan’s elevation to the top job comes on the back of his impressive leadership during the recently concluded Asian Games, where he guided the Pakistan team to a silver medal finish. This recent success is widely viewed as the primary catalyst behind the board’s decision to hand him the reins.
Salman Agha, who was handed the T20I captaincy just last year, paid the price for the team’s underwhelming performances under his tenure. However, despite his exclusion from the 15-member T20I setup, the batting all-rounder has been retained in the 16-member ODI squad.
Meanwhile, star left-arm pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi has been retained as the captain of the ODI team. Afridi will lead Pakistan in the upcoming ODI tri-series featuring hosts Pakistan, England, and Sri Lanka.
The bilateral T20I series against Sri Lanka will commence on October 9, with all three matches scheduled to be played at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. The subsequent matches are slated for October 11 and 13. Following the T20Is, the action will shift to the seven-match ODI tri-series. Rawalpindi will host the initial three games, before the caravan moves to Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium for the remaining league matches and the grand finale.
Pakistan T20I Squad: Sahibzada Farhan (Captain), Abdul Samad, Abrar Ahmed, Arafat Minhas, Fakhar Zaman, Hasan Nawaz, Muhammad Imran Randhawa, Khawaja Nafay (Wicketkeeper), Maaz Sadaqat, Naseem Shah, Razaullah, Saim Ayub, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Shadab Khan, and Sufiyan Muqeem.
Pakistan ODI Squad: Shaheen Shah Afridi (Captain), Abrar Ahmed, Salman Ali Agha, Arafat Minhas, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Muhammad Ghazi Ghouri (Wicketkeeper), Haris Rauf, Hasan Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Razaullah, Saad Baig (Wicketkeeper), Saim Ayub, Shadab Khan, and Sufiyan Muqeem.