The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) continues to operate under a highly volatile and inconsistent selection policy. In the latest round of changes, Salman Ali Agha has been replaced by Sahibzada Farhan as Pakistan’s T20I captain for this month’s three-match series against Sri Lanka – a series marking the start of Pakistan’s preparations for next year’s ICC Olympic Qualifiers.

Salman was named captain in May last year. His tenure lasted a mere 16 months, during which he led Pakistan to 22 victories and 14 defeats in 36 T20Is. While the captain was discarded, head coach Mike Hesson – who started his tenure at the same time – survived the axe.

Pakistan also announced their 16-player squad for the upcoming ODI tri-nation series against England and Sri Lanka, starting October 18, retaining Shaheen Shah Afridi as captain. This tournament is one of only two confirmed ODI series Pakistan will play in the lead-up to the ICC Men’s ODI World Cup 2027, scheduled to take place in Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe in October and November 2027.

Sahibzada Farhan previously captained Pakistan to a silver medal at the 20th Asian Games in Japan. However, the squad selected for the upcoming Sri Lanka series features sweeping changes from that Asian Games roster.

Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Nafay, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Salman Mirza, and Shadab Khan have been recalled, while Muhammad Imran Randhawa and Razaullah have received maiden T20I call-ups.

Consequently, several players have fallen victim to the PCB’s erratic selection. Ahmed Daniyal, Ali Raza, Akif Javed, Haider Ali, Saad Masood, Mohammad Wasim Junior and Usman Khan have all been discarded.

Astonishingly, Ali Raza, Akif Javed, and Haider Ali were dropped without playing a single match in the Asian Games. Meanwhile, Saad Masood and Mohammad Wasim Junior (who was initially named as Salman Mirza’s replacement) featured in only one match apiece. Usman Khan, who kept wickets in both Asian Games fixtures, was also cast aside.

Saad Masood paid a heavy price for the poor match strategy of captain Sahibzada Farhan and coach Mike Hesson. Brought on to bowl the second over of India’s innings, Masood was taken apart in an over that leaked 24 runs. Although he recovered to complete three overs for 33 runs, the early damage was done, ultimately cost Pakistan the game and led to his swift ouster from the squad.

Looking ahead, the International Cricket Council (ICC) is expected to announce the details of the Olympic Qualifiers next year. Australia, England (competing as Great Britain), India, and South Africa have virtually secured their spots in the six-team Los Angeles 2028 Olympic cricket tournament. The United States is also expected to qualify automatically, provided they maintain their top-13 ranking by the end of the year. The final remaining spot will go to the winner of the Olympic Qualifier.

Meanwhile, Shaheen Shah Afridi has retained his position as ODI captain despite intense scrutiny stemming from the PCB’s unstable leadership decisions. After a disappointing 2-1 series loss to Bangladesh, Shaheen seemingly saved his captaincy by leading Pakistan to a 2-1 home series victory over Australia.

Although Salman Ali Agha and Babar Azam retained their spots in the ODI squad, the footprints of inconsistent selection remain highly visible.

Abdul Samad, Ahmed Daniyal, Maaz Sadaqat, Sahibzada Farhan, Shamyl Hussain, and Rohail Nazir have all been dropped. They are replaced by Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Hasan Nawaz, Saim Ayub, along with uncapped Razaullah and Saad Baig.

The treatment of the omitted players highlights the selectors’ lack of patience. Abdul Samad, Maaz Sadaqat, and Sahibzada Farhan played all three ODIs against Australia – scoring 21, 35, and 37 runs, respectively – only to be discarded immediately.

Conversely, Ahmed Daniyal, Shamyl Hussain, and Rohail Nazir were dropped without receiving a single opportunity to perform during that series. Shamyl had previously played two ODIs against Bangladesh, managing only 10 runs before being sidelined.

Pakistan will play a minimum of four ODIs during the tri-series (potentially five if they reach the final), followed by a five-match ODI series against England in England.

Pakistan has been placed in Group A of the ICC Men’s ODI World Cup 2027 alongside Afghanistan, Australia, India, Qualifier A, and Zimbabwe. They will launch their World Cup campaign against Afghanistan at Centurion on October 8, 2027.

PAKISTAN SQUADS

T20I (vs. Sri Lanka): Sahibzada Farhan (c), Abdul Samad, Abrar Ahmed, Arafat Minhas, Fakhar Zaman, Hasan Nawaz, Muhammad Imran Randhawa, Khawaja Nafay (wk), Maaz Sadaqat, Naseem Shah, Razaullah, Saim Ayub, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Shadab Khan, Sufiyan Moqim.

ODI (vs. England & Sri Lanka): Shaheen Shah Afridi (c), Abrar Ahmed, Arafat Minhas, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Muhammad Ghazi Ghori (wk), Haris Rauf, Hasan Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Razaullah, Saad Baig (wk), Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shadab Khan, Sufiyan Moqim.