Xplorich
Pakistan have entrusted Sahibzada Farhan with the captaincy for the men’s cricket competition at the 2026 Asian Games, which will take place in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, during September and October. The selectors have opted for a youthful and largely experimental 15-member squad, with several uncapped players included in the setup.Farhan, who has represented Pakistan in 46 T20 Internationals, will lead the national side for the first time in white-ball cricket. Abdul Samad has been appointed vice-captain for the tournament. The squad features four players who are yet to make their T20I debuts for Pakistan: Akif Javed, Ali Raza, Maaz Sadaqat and Saad Masood. Meanwhile, Usman Khan has been chosen as the team’s primary wicketkeeper.Pakistan’s squad for the Asian Games 2026: Sahibzada Farhan (captain), Abdul Samad (vice-captain), Abrar Ahmed, Ahmed Daniyal, Akif Javed, Ali Raza, Arafat Minhas, Haider Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Maaz Sadaqat, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Saad Masood, Saim Ayub, Sufyan Moqim and Usman Khan (wicketkeeper).While Farhan has been a regular presence in Pakistan’s T20 setup, he has not previously captained the national team in either limited-overs format. Samad, on the other hand, has appeared in five T20Is but has not featured in the format for Pakistan since March last year. His most recent international appearance came in the ODI series against Australia.The squad bears little resemblance to the one Pakistan fielded at the T20 World Cup earlier this year. Several established stars have been left out, including regular white-ball captain Salman Ali Agha, along with Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi and Shadab Khan.A significant portion of the selected players are currently involved in Pakistan’s preparations at the National Cricket Academy. Fourteen members of the Asian Games squad are also part of the NCA white-ball camp, which is scheduled to begin in Lahore on June 15.The men’s cricket tournament at the Asian Games will commence on September 24, with the medal matches set to be played on October 3.
