Senior stars Babar Azam and Shaheen Shah Afridi have been dropped from Pakistan's T20I squad to face Sri Lanka
Both players paid the price for underwhelming numbers at the 2026 T20 World Cup, including Babar's low strike rate and Shaheen's high economy
New Direction: With young skipper Sahibzada Farhan leading the side, Pakistan appears finally committed to moving past its veteran core
Test captain Babar Azam and ODI captain Shaheen Shah Afridi have both been dropped from Pakistan's T20I squad for the three-match series against Sri Lanka. Neither was part of the Asian Games squad either.
That second-string side, led by Sahibzada Farhan, took silver after losing the final to India by 19 runs. The Sri Lanka T20Is will be played in Rawalpindi on October 9, 11 and 13, with Farhan captaining a young squad that also includes Naseem Shah, Shadab Khan and Fakhar Zaman. Babar and Shaheen remain in the ODI squad for the tri-series.
Babar's return to the T20I side, after he missed the 2025 Asia Cup, was underwhelming. He scored just 91 runs in six matches at the 2026 T20 World Cup at a strike rate of 112.34. He was left out of the XI for Pakistan's final Super Eight game against Sri Lanka. His World Cup strike rate is now the lowest among batters with 500-plus runs. His last T20I was on February 24.
Shaheen is Pakistan's highest T20I wicket-taker, with 136 wickets in 103 matches. He claimed 8 wickets in five matches at the T20 World Cup, including 4/30 against England. But he leaked runs, going at 10.53 an over. He has not played a T20I since February 28.
Pakistan have repeatedly tried to move on from their seniors, only to turn back to them. Babar was dropped in March 2025 and Shaheen in May 2025, yet both were back by the World Cup. Now, with Farhan in charge and youngsters in the squad, Pakistan may finally have made the final call.
