- By Himanshu Badola
- Fri, 23 Jan 2026 05:01 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Pakistan vs Australia T20I Series: Pakistan have announced their squad for the upcoming three-match home series against Australia. Babar Azam has made his return to the side and was included in the 15-member squad along with senior pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi. The duo was not picked for the away series against Sri Lanka earlier this month.
Interestingly, Haris Rauf, who was recently playing in the Big Bash League, was not picked in the squad. The series against Australia will be the final assignment in the format ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026 as the Men in Green aim to pick up the momentum with correct combinations for the marquee tournament, which is scheduled start on February 7 and will be played in India and Sri Lanka.
Haris last played a T20I match for Pakistan in the final of the Asia Cup 2025 against India. In the match played at Dubai International Cricket Stadium, the right-arm pacer had a disappointing outing as he conceded 50 runs in his quota of 3.4 overs and failed to take even one wicket. He played 11 matches for the Melbourne Stars and dismissed 20 batters. Haris currently tops the list of bowlers with the most wickets in BBL 2025-26, but despite that, he was ignored by the Pakistani selectors.
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In a release shared by the Pakistan Cricket Board, they stated, "The Pakistan Cricket Board has named a 16-member squad for the upcoming three-match T20I series against Australia at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore. The matches will take place on 29 and 31 January and 1 February and will begin at 4 pm PKT."
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"Babar Azam and Shaheen Shah Afridi have returned to the T20I squad after missing the three-match away series against Sri Lanka in January. Shadab Khan will continue to build on his comeback in the previous T20I series and will form part of a strong spin-bowling contingent along with Abrar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, and Usman Tariq."
"Pakistan squad and player support personnel are expected to convene in Lahore on Saturday, 24 January, and will begin their preparations for the series the following day. Australia are set to arrive in Pakistan on Wednesday, January 28, and will play just their second series in the format on Pakistan soil after a solitary T20I in April 2022 at Gaddafi Stadium."
Talking about Babar, he was also engaged in the BBL, but left the Sydney Sixers' camp to miss out on the knockout games in order to join the Pakistan team for the preparations for the Australia series. Also part of the squad is Shadab Khan, who made his comeback in the national setup after a six-month period. Shadab will boost Pakistan’s spin bowling unit in the presence of Abrar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz and Usman Tariq.
Pakistan T20I squad: Salman Ali Agha (c), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Mohammad Nafay, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan and Usman Tariq.