Babar, Afridi named in Pakistan's T20I squad for Australia series
What's the story
Pakistan have announced their squad for the upcoming three-match T20I series against Australia. The team will be led by Salman Ali Agha and includes former captains Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi. This is their last bilateral series before the 2026 ICC Men's T20 World Cup. The matches are scheduled to be played in Lahore from January 29 to February 1.
Comeback
Babar Azam's absence and return
Babar, the top run-scorer in T20Is, missed the away series against Sri Lanka due to his Big Bash League (BBL) commitments. However, he has now made a comeback in the squad for this series. On the other hand, Afridi had suffered a knee injury while playing in the BBL last month but is also back in contention for selection.
Omission
Haris Rauf's exclusion from the squad
Despite his impressive performance in the Big Bash League 2025-26 for Melbourne Stars, fast bowler Haris Rauf has been left out of Pakistan's T20I squad. He took 20 wickets in 11 matches but last played a T20I match for Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2025 final against India on September 28, where he went wicketless and conceded 50 runs in his quota of 3.4 overs.
Team composition
Pakistan's squad for the T20I series against Australia
Along with Babar and Afridi, the squad also includes Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Mohammad Nafay (WK), Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Mohammad Wasim Jnr., Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan (WK), Saim Ayub and Shadab Khan. Usman Khan (WK) and Usman Tariq are also part of the team. The matches will be played at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on January 29 and 31 as well as February 1.