Pakistan Names Fresh Face as Captain for Asian Games 2026

Sahibzada Farhan has a new responsibility. The 29-year-old will lead Pakistan at the 2026 Asian Games in Japan.

The tournament will be held in Aichi-Nagoya from September to October this year. Farhan has played 46 T20Is for Pakistan. But this will be his first time captaining the side in any white-ball format.

Pakistan has picked a very different team compared to their T20 World Cup squad. Big names like Salman Ali Agha, Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi and Shadab Khan are not in the list. Instead, the selectors have gone with young and fresh faces.

Four players in the 15-member squad are yet to make their T20I debut. They are; Akif Javed, Ali Raza, Maaz Sadaqat and Saad Masood.

Abdul Samad has been named as Farhan’s deputy. He has played five T20Is for Pakistan. His last appearance in this format was in March last year. More recently, he was part of Pakistan’s ODI squad against Australia.

Usman Khan will keep wickets. Most of the squad members are part of the NCA white-ball camp starting in Lahore on June 15.

Cricket has been played at the Asian Games four times now. Pakistan finished fourth in the 2022 edition (which was held in 2023). They won one match and lost two.

The men’s cricket event begins on September 24. The medal matches will be played in October.

This is a bold move by Pakistan. They are giving young players a chance to shine on a big stage. For Farhan, it’s a big opportunity to show what he can do as a leader. And for the uncapped players, it’s a dream come true.

Will this fresh squad bring home a medal? We will find out in Japan.

                                               

Relevant news