Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha has said the team will pick players for the T20I World Cup playing XI based on what is best for the side, even if senior stars like Babar Azam or Fakhar Zaman do not fit into the combination. 

 

“We will try to field the best combination possible,” he said while addressing a pre-match press conference in Sri Lanka ahead of Pakistan’s opening match against the Netherlands.

 

The skipper added that if any senior player like Fakhar Zaman or Babar Azam doesn’t fit into said combination, they won’t be in the playing XI.

 

کنڈیشنز کو دیکھتے ہوئے اگر فخر زمان اور بابر اعظم پلیئنگ الیون میں فٹ نہیں بیٹھتے تو انہیں ڈراپ کرنے میں کوئی ہچکچاہٹ نہیں ہوگی، میں وہی فیصلہ کروں گا جو ٹیم کے مفاد میں ہوگا۔
سلمان علی آغا#icct20worldcup2026 pic.twitter.com/yWJ3r0CibA

— Au Rangzab Younis (@SardarAurangzab) February 6, 2026

 

“We will only select players who are best for the team. Fakhar has performed exceptionally for Pakistan over the past 10 years, and similarly, Babar has delivered outstanding performances. I fully support both of them, but we will choose the playing XI based on what is best for the team,” Agha added.

 

Pakistan will open its campaign against the Netherlands in Colombo at 10:30 am tomorrow, followed by matches against the United States (US) on February 10 and Namibia on February 18. 

 

The team will not play against India on February 15 after announcing a boycott of the match, citing the ICC’s bias over Bangladesh’s security concerns during the tournament.

 

Pakistan has named a 15-member squad for the T20 World Cup, with Salman Ali Agha leading the side. 

 

The squad includes Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Mohammad Nafay, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan and Usman Tariq.