Pakistan's New Squad Aims for Success at Asian Games

Pakistan have turned the page, at least for now. Sahibzada Farhan will lead a fresh-faced squad at the Asian Games, with Abdul Samad named his deputy, as some of the country’s biggest names are left watching from home.

No Babar Azam. No Shaheen Afridi. No Haris Rauf. No Naseem Shah. The selection committee has omitted all four, and the silence around whether they’ve been rested or simply moved on from only deepens the intrigue.

Camp in Karachi, flight to Japan

The squad assembled in Karachi on Sunday, where the real work starts. A short, sharp training camp runs from Monday, September 21, to Thursday, September 14, before the Farhan-led group flies out to Japan on Thursday night.

It is not a complete group just yet. Five players – Usman Khan, Saim Ayub, Maaz Sadaqat, Hasan Nawaz and Sufyan Moqim – are due to join late, once they wrap up their franchise duties at the Caribbean Premier League, which concludes with the CPL final. Their arrival will add the finishing touches to a squad built around opportunity and audition.

Farhan, who has spent much of his career on the fringes of Pakistan’s plans, suddenly finds himself at the centre of them. Around him, a mix of domestic performers and emerging names: mystery spinner Abrar Ahmed, seamer Ahmed Daniyal, left-arm quick Akif Javed, keeper-batter Usman Khan, all-rounders Arafat Minhas and Maaz Sadaqat, and the talented top-order pair of Haider Ali and Saim Ayub.

This is a team that will be judged less on reputation and more on how quickly it can grow up under tournament pressure.

High stakes in Hangzhou: India, Pakistan kept apart

The men’s cricket event at the Asian Games begins on Monday, September 24, and the bracket has already added a layer of drama. India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have all been handed direct entry into the quarter-finals, a nod to their regional heft.

There is one crucial twist. India and Pakistan cannot meet in the semi-finals. The draw keeps them on separate paths until the medal matches, meaning the only way the rivals collide is in a bronze playoff or a gold medal showdown. The prospect of a final with a podium and a flag-raising ceremony on the line is exactly the kind of theatre administrators quietly crave.

Both sides will open their campaigns on the same day, Monday, September 28, stepping straight into knockout cricket with no room for a slow start.

India go full strength, Pakistan gamble on youth

Across the border, there is no hint of experimentation. The BCCI has named a full-strength squad for the Games, with Shreyas Iyer set to captain a star-laden group. Jasprit Bumrah, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Tilak Varma are all on the plane, and VVS Laxman will coach the side while Gautam Gambhir focuses on the upcoming ODI series against the West Indies.

It’s a statement of intent from India. Pakistan’s response is different: a calculated risk, or a quiet reset.

Farhan’s men will not carry the burden of superstar expectation, but they will carry a different kind of weight – the chance to show that Pakistan’s depth is more than a slogan.

Pakistan squad for Asian Games

Sahibzada Farhan (captain), Abdul Samad (vice-captain), 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, Usman Khan (wicket-keeper).

In a few days, this group will swap Karachi’s training nets for the pressure of knockout cricket in Japan. If they get it right, the conversation around who is missing may quickly give way to a new one: who can no longer be ignored.