Pakistan’s white-ball cricket squad for the Asian Games 2026 departed from Karachi for Japan via Dubai. National captain Sahibzada Farhan expressed his lofty ambitions, stating his hope of winning the gold medal at the tournament.
The four-day training camp at the Hanif Mohammad High Performance Centre at the National Stadium Karachi concluded on Thursday, ahead of the team’s departure for Japan. On the final day of the camp, five key players engaged in the Caribbean League — Usman Khan, Saim Ayub, Muaz Sadaqat, Hasan Nawaz and Sufyan Muqeem — joined the squad.
All these players had arrived in Karachi from Barbados via London on Wednesday. Fast bowler Muhammad Salman Mirza has been ruled out of the Asian Games squad due to a fracture in his left thumb. He has been replaced by Mohammad Wasim Junior, who was included in the 15-member national squad after special permission was granted.
15-Member National Squad
The squad comprises Sahibzada Farhan (captain), Abdul Samad (vice-captain), Abrar Ahmed, Ahmed Daniyal, Aaqib Javed, Ali Raza, Arafat Minhas, Haider Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Muaz Sadaqat, Mohammad Wasim Junior, Saad Masood, Saim Ayub, Sufyan Muqeem and Usman Khan (wicketkeeper).
The six-member support staff includes Mike Hesson (head coach), Ashley Nofke (bowling coach), Shane McDermott (fielding coach), Muhammad Tahir (physiotherapist), Imranullah (trainer) and Usman Hashmi (analyst).
The men’s cricket tournament at the Asian Games 2026 officially begins on Friday. The preliminary round will feature six teams, four of which will qualify for the quarter-finals. Pakistan will face an opponent in the first quarter-final on September 28, while defending champions and top seeds India will be in action in the second quarter-final.
Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are scheduled to compete in the third and fourth quarter-finals, respectively, on September 29. Both semi-finals will be played on October 1, while the gold medal showdown will take place on October 3.
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