Farhan says doors open for Babar and Rizwan ahead of Sri Lanka T20Is

Pakistan’s new T20I captain Sahibzada Farhan said on Thursday that Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan can return to the side at any time, as he prepared to lead the team for the first time in a home series against Sri Lanka.

“Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan are the best players in the world. Babar and Rizwan can return to T20 cricket at any time,” Farhan told the pre-series press conference at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Geo News reported.

“This is the Pakistan team; it doesn’t belong to anyone,” he said when asked about their absence. “Doors are open for everyone.”

Where the stars stand

Neither player is in the current 15-member squad, which also leaves out Shaheen Shah Afridi.

• Babar Azam is Pakistan’s leading T20I run-scorer with 4,596 runs. His last T20I was against England at Pallekele on February 24, during the T20 World Cup co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka. He is set to play in Pakistan’s upcoming ODI and Test assignments.
• Mohammad Rizwan has 3,414 T20I runs and last played the format in 2024 against South Africa. He is under investigation in a case registered with the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA).

A new approach

Farhan, who replaced Salman Ali Agha, led Pakistan to silver at the recent Asian Games and was the leading run-scorer at the 2026 T20 World Cup with 383 runs, Dawn reported. He has 1,305 runs in 46 T20Is at an average of around 30 and a strike rate of nearly 137, with two centuries. One came against Sri Lanka in the World Cup Super Eights, when he and Fakhar Zaman put on a tournament-record 176-run stand.

“There is pressure… you are leading from the front,” he said. “But it is not that we will let that pressure sit on our heads.”

He said domestic cricket and the Asian Games had prepared him for the job, and named former captain Sarfaraz Ahmed as his leadership model. “He was very relaxed, treated everyone exceptionally well on the field, and created a positive environment,” Farhan said. He added that selection was the committee’s job, and his task was to get the best from the 15 players picked.

The squad mixes youth with returning seniors Fakhar Zaman and Shadab Khan, along with Saim Ayub, Naseem Shah, Abrar Ahmed and Hasan Nawaz, who scored 96 in the Asian Games final. Dawn said two spinners and three pacers were likely to play in Rawalpindi conditions.

Sri Lanka’s view

Sri Lanka arrive under Kusal Mendis after a 0-3 T20I series defeat in England. “In England we had a little bit bad series in T20, but we have more positive things in bowling and fielding,” Mendis said. He named bowling as his side’s main strength, called Pakistan’s pace attack “a very good challenge” and described the Rawalpindi pitch as “a little bit batting track”.

The series

The three-match series starts under lights at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Friday. It is Pakistan’s last major T20 assignment before the focus shifts to ODIs.

This article draws on reporting by Dawn, Geo News and the PCB.