Babar Azam will make his T20 return; Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha: ‘I’m very excited’ | Cricket News
Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha is set to lead a revamped national T20I team against South Africa in a three-match series starting on Tuesday at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. The squad includes returning stars Babar Azam and Naseem Shah, as well as potential debutants Usman Tariq and Usman Khan, as Pakistan continue their preparations for the 2026 T20 World Cup.The Pakistan team represents a mix of experienced players and new talents, with off-spinner Usman Tariq and keeper-batsman Usman Khan in line for their maiden T20I appearances.“I think we have a very interesting and exciting team, with a few returns and a few new faces as well. I am very excited to lead this team and we really hope to have a good series,” Salman Ali Agha was quoted as saying by Geo News.Pakistan’s recent T20I performances have been mixed. They dominated Bangladesh with a 3–0 home win in May, but lost 2–1 to Bangladesh in an away series in July. The team bounced back with a 2–1 win over the West Indies in August and won a tri-series involving Afghanistan and the United Arab Emirates.However, the team suffered setbacks in their encounters with India, losing three matches and the Asia Cup title.“We had a good series against Bangladesh at home and I hope for good results in the upcoming series as well. We just want to execute our plans over a longer period. As I always say, we have a great team, a team that can beat any team. Obviously, South Africa are a very good team; they have a few hiccups, but still have a lot of talent,” Salman added.Pakistan T20I team includes Salman Ali Agha as captain, Abdul Samad, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Nawaz, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan and Usman Tariq.The reserve players for the series are Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf and Sufiyan Moqim.
