LAHORE: Opening batter Sahibzada Farhan, who is leading Pakistan’s T20 side at the Asian Games, may be kept on as captain for the home T20 series against Sri Lanka next month.
Sources say head coach Mike Hesson favours replacing Salman Ali Agha with Farhan as captain in the shortest format.
Sources also say young players are likely to get chances in the Sri Lanka series. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is reportedly building a wider pool of players for the 2028 T20 World Cup.
Three senior players are not expected to return for the series which includes Fakhar Zaman, Shaheen Afridi, and Haris Rauf.
The three T20 matches will be played in Rawalpindi on October 9, 11 and 13.
Farhan’s name has come up after a strong run of form. He finished as the leading run-scorer of the 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup with 383 runs, and scored two centuries in the tournament.
In June, the PCB named him captain of the Pakistan men’s squad for the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, with Abdul Samad appointed vice-captain. The men’s cricket competition begins on September 24, with the medal matches scheduled for October 3.
The PCB has not made any formal announcement about the captaincy. According to reports, Hesson has played down the speculation. The matter is therefore still unconfirmed until the board announces the squad.
Salman Ali Agha has captained Pakistan’s T20 side through a busy period, including the 2025 home tri-series. Replacing him would be a clear change in the team management’s thinking.
A new captain for a home series against a strong Asian side would give selectors a low-risk way to test young players. Since international cricket fully returned to Pakistan, the country has hosted a series of major teams, and Rawalpindi has become a regular venue for white-ball matches.
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