LAHORE: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) director Akib Javed has thrown his weight behind the Green Shirts’ 15-man squad for the Asian Games 2026.
Veteran opener Sahibzada Farhan will lead Pakistan in the men’s cricket tournament of the continental event, scheduled to be held from September 24 to October 3, while middle-order batsman Abdul Samad has been appointed as his vice-captain.
Akif Javed, Mas Sadaq, Ali Raza and Saad Masood were absent from the squad, while Ahmed Daniel, Hasan Nawaz, Haider Ali, Salman Mirza, Subian Mukeem, Saim Ayub and Usman Khan represented the national team in short form.
Instead, India announced a strong 15-man squad for the Games, which includes their fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah.
Newly-appointed T20 captain Shreyas Iyer will lead India in the Asian Games cricket tournament as it will be played in the shorter format, while 15-year-old batsman Vaibhav Suriyavanshi, who earned his first national call-up for the Ireland and England series, will be included alongside Sanju Kishan, Abshan Sharshan and Abshan Sharma.
Addressing the Pakistan team’s lack of experienced players compared to arch-rivals India, Akib’s approach to the Games was to give opportunities to their key players and promising youngsters.
He also expressed confidence that the national team will put up a strong performance against India, citing their recent success against traditional rivals at the U-19 and A team levels.
“Regarding your opinion about the squad India has announced and the squad we have selected, our approach from the beginning has been that such tournaments provide an opportunity to give opportunities to both our core players and promising youngsters,” Akib told reporters on the sidelines ahead of Pakistan’s red-ball camp.
“Our plan is to field a mix of experienced and young players. Just as these players gave India a tough time in Under-19 and Shaheen-level matches, I am sure they can deliver a similar performance at this level.”
The men’s cricket competition at the 2026 Asian Games features 10 teams, including Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, which have qualified as full-member International Cricket Council (ICC) members.
Nepal, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Oman earned their spots for the Games by finishing in the top two groups in the recently concluded seven-team qualifiers in Singapore, while Japan qualified by virtue of being the host nation.
Pakistan squad for Asian Games:
Sahibzada Farhan (catch), Abdul Samad (VC), Abrar Ahmed, Ahmed Daniel, Akif Javed, Ali Raza, Arafat Minhas, Haider Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Mas Sadaq, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Saad Masood, Saim Ayub, Sufyan Mokim (and).