Islamabad, June 11:
Pakistan on Wednesday named a largely inexperienced 15-member squad for the men’s T20 cricket competition at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, with opener Sahibzada Farhan appointed captain.
The squad does not include any of Pakistan’s established senior stars, with Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf and Shadab Khan all omitted from selection.
Farhan will lead Pakistan in an international tournament for the first time, while Abdul Samad, who has played five T20 Internationals, was named vice-captain.
Among the notable inclusions are Abrar Ahmed, Usman Khan and Saim Ayub, the only players in the squad with significant recent international exposure.
Four members of the squad — Akif Javed, Ali Raza, Maaz Sadaqat and Saad Masood — are yet to make their T20I debuts.
The Asian Games will be held from September 19 to October 4 in Aichi-Nagoya, with the 10-team men’s T20 tournament scheduled from September 24 to October 3 at Korogi Athletic Park in Aichi Prefecture.