Pakistan have entrusted opening batter Sahibzada Farhan with the captaincy for the men's cricket competition at the 2026 Asian Games, slated to take place in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, from September 24 to October 3.

The PCB has opted for a young 15-member squad with Abdul Samad named as vice-captain, resting several established white-ball names like Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Salman Ali Agha among others.

Akif Javed, Ali Raza, Maaz Sadaqat, and Saad Masood are the notable uncapped players in the T20I squad.

This new direction comes as a response to Pakistan’s early tournament exits and narrow losses in recent continental and global events.

The Men in Green suffered a Super 8 exit during the T20 World Cup 2026. They fell short by 5 wickets against India in a tense Asia Cup final last year.

As a result, the PCB selection committee has decided to utilize the 2026 Asian Games to blood in emerging and uncapped talents into the international setup.

"Among the 15-member squad, Akif Javed, Ali Raza, Maaz Sadaqat and Saad Masood are the four players yet to represent Pakistan in the T20I format. Additionally, 14 of the 15 players selected for the Asian Games squad are part of the NCA White-Ball Camp, which is set to commence in Lahore from Monday, 15 June," the board said in a release.

Usman Khan will serve as the primary wicketkeeper. The roster also includes dynamic players like Abrar Ahmed, Saim Ayub, Haider Ali, Arafat Minhas, Ahmed Daniyal, Hasan Nawaz, Mohammad Salman Mirza, and Sufyan Moqim.

Pakistan's squad for 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.