KARACHI: Pakistan’s white-ball cricket squad has departed Karachi for Japan via Dubai to participate in the men’s cricket competition at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya.
Captain Sahibzada Farhan has expressed his ambition to compete for the gold medal as Pakistan prepares for its campaign in Japan. The team completed a four-day training camp at the Hanif Mohammad High-Performance Centre in Karachi before departing for the tournament.
Five players — Usman Khan, Saim Ayub, Maaz Sadaqat, Hasan Nawaz and Sufyan Moqim — joined the squad after completing their franchise commitments in the Caribbean. Fast bowler Mohammad Salman Mirza was ruled out after suffering a fracture to his left thumb, with Mohammad Wasim Jnr brought into the squad as his replacement.
The updated 15-member squad is led by Sahibzada Farhan, with Abdul Samad as vice-captain. It also includes Abrar Ahmed, Ahmed Daniyal, Akif Javed, Ali Raza, Arafat Minhas, Haider Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Maaz Sadaqat, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Saad Masood, Saim Ayub, Sufyan Moqim and wicketkeeper Usman Khan.
Pakistan has direct entry into the quarterfinal stage and will play its opening match on September 28 against a team emerging from the preliminary round. The semifinals are scheduled for October 1, while the medal matches will be played on October 3.
The Asian Games men’s cricket competition features 10 teams, with Pakistan among the automatic qualifiers. The tournament is being played in the T20 format in Aichi Prefecture, Japan.
Source note: The article details above are based on the supplied source and cross-checked with Pakistan Cricket Board and current tournament coverage.