LAHORE: All-rounder Shadab Khan has been recalled and uncapped wicketkeeper-batter Khawaja Nafay has been named in Pakistan’s 15-player squad for next month’s three-match T20I series in Sri Lanka.

Shadab last featured in a T20I against Bangladesh in June 2025 before undergoing shoulder surgery. He returned to competitive cricket earlier this month in an Australian franchise tournament. The all-rounder has taken 112 wickets and scored 792 runs in 112 T20Is, and his return indicates he remains part of the selectors’ plans for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 in February and March.

Khawaja Nafay has played 32 domestic T20 matches, scoring 688 runs at a strike rate of just under 133. This year, he appeared in two matches for Quetta Gladiators in the PSL 2025, scoring 52 runs. He also played two National T20 Cup 2025 matches for Karachi Whites, making 20 runs.

Nafay is the third wicketkeeper-batter in the squad, alongside Usman Khan and Sahibzada Farhan.

Salman Ali Agha will continue to captain the side. The squad does not include Babar Azam and Shaheen Shah Afridi, who are currently engaged in franchise cricket in Australia.

Hasan Nawaz, who had been promoted as a future T20I prospect, has also not been included after being dropped following the T20I series against South Africa.

The Pakistan cricket team will depart for Sri Lanka in the first week of January, with all three T20Is scheduled to be played at the Rangiri Dambulla International Cricket Stadium (RDICS) in Dambulla on 7, 9 and 11 January.

PAKISTAN SQUAD: Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abdul Samad, Abrar Ahmad, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Nafay (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan (wicketkeeper), Saim Ayub, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan (wicketkeeper), Usman Tariq.