Pakistan name Salman Agha as T20I captain; Babar, Rizwan dropped
What's the story
Salman Agha has taken over as Pakistan cricket team's new T20I captain for the upcoming series against New Zealand.
The move comes after the team's abysmal showing in the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy campaign at home.
Agha succeeds Mohammad Rizwan, who captained Pakistan in four T20Is but lost all of them.
However, Rizwan will remain the ODI captain despite the change.
Team changes
Shaheen Afridi dropped from ODI squad
The Pakistan selectors have made a lot of changes to the T20I setup, including dropping seniors Rizwan and Babar Azam.
This decision indicates a shift in strategy for the team as they prepare for the 2026 ICC T20 World Cup.
Unlike the T20I squad, not many changes were made to the ODI team with only Shaheen Afridi being excluded.
Squad updates
Shadab Khan returns as vice-captain
Shadab Khan returns to the T20I side and has been named vice-captain. Mohammad Haris also returns after a long time away from the national side.
Meanwhile, Saim Ayub misses out with an ankle injury he suffered in South Africa.
The selectors have gone for new faces in the batting department, including wicket-keeper Hasan Nawaz and big-hitter Abdul Samad.
Team composition
Bowling line-up remains largely unchanged
The bowling attack for the T20I series against New Zealand is largely similar to the recently series in South Africa.
Senior pacers Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf keep their places, with Sufiyaan Muqeem and Abrar Ahmed also being included.
While Khushdil Shah makes the squad, Naseem Shah has been left out.
These changes come as Pakistan gear up to face the Black Caps in five T20Is in New Zealand. A three-match ODI series will follow thereafter.
Squads
A look at Pakistan's squad
Pakistan T20I squad: Hassan Nawaz, Omair Yousuf, Mohammad Haris Abdul Samad, Salman Ali Agha (captain), Irfan Niazi, Khushdil Shah, Shadab Khan Abbas Afridi, Jahandad Khan, Mohammad Ali, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Sufiyaan Muqeem, Abrar Ahmed, and Usman Khan.
Pakistan ODI squad: Mohammad Rizwan (captain), Salman Ali Agha, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Akif Javed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Imam-ul-Haq, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Irfan Niazi, Naseem Shah, Sufiyan Muqeem, and Tayyab Tahir.
Information
Babar, Rizwan's services in T20Is
It is worth noting that Babar and Rizwan are the top-two run-scorers for Pakistan in T20I cricket. Babar leads the show with 4,223 runs, with Rizwan following him (3,414). However, their sub-100 strike-rates has been under the scanner.