Key Takeaways
- Sahibzada Farhan to lead Pakistan in upcoming T20I series against Sri Lanka.
- Series to be played at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium from October 9 to 13.
- Farhan previously captained Pakistan’s youth team at the Asian Games 2026.
Pakistan have appointed opening batter Sahibzada Farhan as the T20I captain for the upcoming three-match series against Sri Lanka, set to take place from October 9 to 13 at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.
Farhan, who recently led Pakistan’s youth team to a silver medal at the Asian Games 2026, is expected to lead a young but experienced squad for the series.
According to reports, Babar Azam, Shadab Khan, Naseem Shah, and Fakhar Zaman are likely to return to the squad, while Ahmed Daniyal, Saad Masood, Haider Ali, and Mohammad Wasim Jnr are unlikely to retain their places.
Shaheen Shah Afridi is also not expected to feature in the series, with Farhan taking the helm as the new captain.
The series will mark Sri Lanka’s first visit to Pakistan for a bilateral short-format series since 2019, when the two teams played a three-match T20I series at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium, with Pakistan winning 3-0.
Following the T20I series, England will join Pakistan and Sri Lanka for an ODI tri-series in Rawalpindi and Lahore, beginning on October 18.
The tri-series will feature matches between Pakistan and Sri Lanka on October 18, Pakistan and England on October 20, and Sri Lanka and England on October 22, with the tournament moving to Lahore for the final matches on October 25 and 27.
The top two teams from the tri-series will qualify for the final, scheduled for October 31 at Gaddafi Stadium.
After the tri-series, Sri Lanka will play a three-day warm-up match in Islamabad from November 4 to 6 before beginning a two-Test series against Pakistan, part of the ICC World Test Championship 2025-27 cycle.
The first Test will be played at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium from November 9 to 13, while the second Test will take place at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore from November 17 to 21.
