Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) once again showed little patience towards another captain as Salman Agha was sacked and dropped from the T20I side. Sahibzada Farhan whose stocks have risen since his performances in T20 World Cup 2026 in an otherwise disappointing campaign, will continue leading the squad after settling for a silver medal at Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026. Farhan’s tenure as designated T20I captain will begin in the T20I series against Sri Lanka starting on October 9. Ahead of the series, he opened up on getting the responsibility. He also revealed how it leads to an added pressure.
“It is an honour to captain Pakistan for the first time in a home series. I am very much excited for this new challenge,” Farhan said.
“Obviously, there is pressure of captaincy because you are leading the side and you have to show a different mindset. I have captained previously in domestic cricket, so I have an idea of leading the side.”
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Farhan with bat as T20I captain so far
Farhan has captained in just T20Is as the Asian Games 2026 quarter-final match was abandoned due to rain. As captain, he registered scores of 1 against Bangladesh and 10 against India in the semifinal and final matches.
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Did Farhan expect T20I captaincy?
Farhan had never seen himself donning the captaincy hat for Pakistan but his father did.
“I never imagined myself as Pakistan captain,” he said.
“Parents’ prayers really do come true,” the opener added.
Doors closed or open for Babar and Rizwan?
Farhan lauded former T20I captains Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan. However, he is happy with the squad assembled for the T20I series at home against Sri Lanka.
“Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan are the best players in the world. Both can return to T20 cricket at any time,” he said.
“I have complete confidence in the players selected in the current squad. The presence of senior players will greatly assist me on the field.”
Babar is the leading run-scorer in T20Is. He was given a middle order role in T20 World Cup 2026 which he couldn’t justify. Rizwan's previous T20I appearance was nearly two years ago. Currently, he is under investigation for controversies on Pakistan's Test tour of England.
What will be Pakistan's T20I approach?
Farhan wants the batting lineup to follow an attacking approach like the one he possesses.
“We want to imply a T20 mindset. If you see our top order, which includes Fakhar Zaman, Maaz Sadaqat and Hasan Nawaz, they have a similar playing style to mine. I have got the team I wanted,” he said.
As a leader, he idolises Pakistan's ICC Champions Trophy 2017-winning captain Sarfaraz Ahmed.
“I have played a lot under Sarfaraz Ahmed’s captaincy, and I really liked his leadership,” the 30-year-old said.
During his tenure, Sarfaraz did not win a T20 World Cup but he has a stellar T20I record as captain. Sarfaraz was recently sacked as head coach of the Test team on England tour following Lord's Test defeat.
Sahibzada's T20I record vs Sri Lanka
The opener has a good T20I record against Sri Lanka. From seven T20Is, he has 296 runs at an average of 49.33 and strike rate of 154.16. During the T20 World Cup 2026, he scored a century against Sri Lanka in the Super Eights match. Also, he has two fifties against them.
Farhan to surpass Afridi, break Malik’s record?
In the year 2026, Sahibzada has scored most T20I runs for Pakistan. From 12 innings, he has 459 runs at an average of 41.72 and strike rate of 151.48 featuring two tons and three fifties. During the T20 World Cup 2026, he had broken former India T20I captain Virat Kohli's record for most runs in a single edition.
He has a chance to break former Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik's record for most T20I runs against Sri Lanka. Malik had 397 runs from 16 innings followed by another former captain, Shahid Afridi, who scored 331 runs from 14 innings. Farhan needs 102 runs in the three-T20I series to break the record by a Pakistani batter.
Major changes in Pakistan T20I squad
The chopping and changing has continued in Pakistan’s T20I squad and noone seems to be immune of it. Mohammad Nawaz, ODI captain and left-arm pacer Shaheen Afridi, all-rounder Faheem Ashraf, wicketkeeper-batter Usman Khan and mystery spinner Usman Tariq have been left out of the squad.
Nawaz had faced suspension from ICC earlier this year for consuming banned substance during the T20 World Cup 2026. Ashraf does not seem to have the vote of confidence of Pakistan selectors. Similarly, Afridi has been limited to the ODIs especially with an ODI tri-series at home featuring Sri Lanka and England.
Usman was part of Pakistan's T20I squad in T20 World Cup 2026 and Asian Games 2026 as well. He has been dropped following underwhelming performances. Unorthodox spinner Tariq who has troubled batters with his long pause has not found a place in the T20I squad. He also took to social media to express his disappointment.
Pakistan selectors have looked to fastrack young talent. The latest entrant is fast-bowling all-rounder Razaullah who impressed on his Test debut against England by taking a four-wicket haul and then smashing nine sixes in a counter-attacking 81.
Pakistan vs Sri Lanka T20I squads, schedule and live streaming
Pakistan Squad: Sahibzada Farhan(c), Fakhar Zaman, Maaz Sadaqat, Khawaja Nafay(w), Hasan Nawaz, Abdul Samad, Shadab Khan, Arafat Minhas, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Abrar Ahmed, Sufyan Moqim, Saim Ayub, Razaullah, Mohammad Imran Randhawa.
Sri Lanka Squad: Sineth Jayawardena, Lahiru Udara, Kamil Mishara, Kusal Mendis(w/c), Kamindu Mendis, Sahan Arachchige, Dasun Shanaka, Dunith Wellalage, Dushmantha Chameera, Maheesh Theekshana, Nuwan Thushara, Binura Fernando, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth, Chamindu Wickramasinghe, Eshan Malinga.
The first T20I of the series starts on October 9 at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. The second and third T20I will be played at the same venue on October 11 and 13 respectively.
The live streaming of Pakistan versus Sri Lanka T20I series is likely to be available in India on Veto app.