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LAHORE: Pakistan cricket team on Monday departed for Sri Lanka to participate in the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, which will be played from 7 February to 8 March.
The 15-member squad, led by captain Salman Ali Agha, includes key names such as Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Fakhar Zaman, as Pakistan begin preparations for their opening match of the tournament.
Pakistan will spend the first two days in Sri Lanka resting after travel before turning their focus to match readiness.
The Green Shirts are scheduled to play a warm-up game against Ireland on 4 February at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground in Colombo.
The same venue will also host Pakistan’s first two group-stage fixtures, where the 2009 champions will begin their campaign against the Netherlands on 7 February, followed by a clash against the USA on 10 February.
Pakistan’s third group match will be against Namibia on 18 February.
However, Pakistan’s World Cup campaign will remain overshadowed by the political situation surrounding the high-profile clash against India.
The Green Shirts are set to boycott their group-stage match against arch-rivals India on 15 February, following directives issued by the Government of Pakistan.
Salman Ali Agha (c), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Mohammad Nafay (WK), Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan (WK), and Usman Tariq.
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