Pakistan announced their official squad for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 on Monday, September 4, and it has generated interest among fans because of their snubbing of ex-captain Mohammad Rizwan. Babar Azam secured his spot in the 15-man team, but Rizwan together with Haris Rauf were denied selection, which resulted in fans and analysts extensively debating the matter. Rizwan’s absence is not sudden. His last T20I appearance for Pakistan came on December 13, 2024, against South Africa. The team management has consistently chosen to exclude him from T20 matches since then because they believe his strike rate and performance level do not meet their requirements. These problems have not allowed him to be included in the Pakistani team for the forthcoming T20I matches at home, which will begin on January 29, pitting Pakistan against Australia. Rizwan performed below expectations throughout the 2024 season. In his 20 T20I innings for the year, he achieved 617 runs which included five half-centuries, although his strike rate remained at 117.3 which was considered too low for modern T20 standards. The selectors have chosen a different path as Pakistan plans to implement a more aggressive style of play. Also Read | Will ICC Remove Bangladesh’s Test Status After BCB Boycotts T20 World Cup 2026? BBL Stint Fails to Revive World Cup Hope Rizwan’s first opportunity to prove himself came on the occasion of his first Big Bash League stint with the Melbourne Renegades. It was an opportunity for Rizwan to learn to score at higher speeds and prove himself for the World Cup qualifiers. It, unfortunately, did not work in Rizwan’s favor. Despite this, in the BBL 2025 season, Rizwan was only able to score 187 runs off 10 matches. His contribution to the matches consisted of no half-centuries. The rate at which he was hitting the ball also reduced to 102.74. All this made things more challenging for the selectors as they had difficulties including him in the team Rizwan's struggles appeared during the last T20 World Cup. He scored just 110 runs in four matches at a strike rate of 90.90, one of the lowest among top-order batters in the tournament. His recent performance statistics proved detrimental to his status as one of Pakistan's most experienced T20I players. The Pakistan team has chosen to combine young players with experienced ones through their selection of Salman Ali Agha as captain. The aggressive batting lineup consists of several options together with powerful pace attacking wicketkeepers, which is seen as a strategic transformation going into the next global tournament. The Pakistan team selected for the T20 World Cup 2026 : Salman Ali Agha (C), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Mohammad Nafay (WK), Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan (WK), Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan (WK), and Usman Tariq.