Pakistan announce T20 World Cup squad after pull-out hoax:Haris Rauf dropped, Babar-Shaheen included; PAK to face IND on 15 February

Pakistan have announced their squad for the T20 World Cup 2026 on Sunday, 25 January. This comes just a day after Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi had shed uncertainty over his country’s participation in the event. One of the biggest talking points from the squad is that Haris Rauf has been dropped. Babar Azam, who returned to the T20I setup after the Asia Cup, has been picked and so has Shadab Khan. However, there was no room for Mohammad Rizwan. Pakistan’s squad announced, no room for Haris Rauf; Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi included Pakistan’s squad for the mega-event was announced in a press conference by PCB High Performance Director and men’s selection committee member Aqib Javed, white-ball head coach Mike Hesson and T20I captain Salman Ali Agha in Lahore. Haris Rauf, Pakistan’s highest wicket-taker in men’s T20Is, has not been picked in the T20 World Cup squad. This is indeed a big decision as Rauf has been an integral part of Pakistan’s last three T20 World Cup campaigns. Shaheen Afridi, whose stint with Brisbane Heat in the BBL had been cut short due to a knee injury, is part of the squad. Meanwhile, captain Salman Ali Agha, Faheem Ashraf, Khawaja Mohammad Nafay, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Sahibzada Farhan and Usman Tariq will be part of the T20 World Cup for the first time, according to a PCB release. Pakistan’s schedule at ICC T20 World Cup 2026 Pakistan have been placed in Group A at the T20 World Cup 2026 alongside India, Namibia, the Netherlands and the USA. Salman Ali Agha and his men will play all their matches in Sri Lanka and their campaign will start against the Netherlands on 7 February. The much-awaited India vs Pakistan T20 World Cup 2026 match is on 15 February in Colombo. Pakistan’s T20 World Cup boycott threat and ICC’s response A day ago, Bangladesh’s exclusion from the T20 World Cup by the ICC prompted a strong reaction from PCB chief Naqvi, who had said that Pakistan’s participation would depend on the decision made by his country’s government. “The Prime Minister is not in Pakistan right now. When he returns, I’ll be able to give you our final decision. It’s the government’s decision. We obey them, not the ICC,” he said. Naqvi added, “If the government of Pakistan says we mustn’t play, then maybe the ICC will bring in a 22nd team (after Scotland). It’s up to the government.” However, after his comments, reports emerged of the ICC considering strong action against Pakistan should they have boycotted the tournament. “If Pakistan also decides not to play the T20 World Cup, the ICC will impose a series of sanctions, including no bilateral series with any international team, no NOC for foreign players in PSL, and no Asia Cup participation,” a source had said, as per The Indian Express.