Pakistan revise men's squad for Asian Games after pacer Salman Mirza suffers thumb injury

The PCB announced a revised men's squad for the Asian Games. Here's all you need to know.

Updated on: Sep 21, 2026, 07:00:27 IST

Written by Vishesh Roy

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The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced a revised men's squad for the Asian Games after Salman Mirza was sidelined due to an injury. In an official update provided by the board, it was confirmed that the left-arm pacer was ruled out of the event due to a fracture in his left thumb. He's now undergoing rehabilitation and is expected to regain complete fitness in the first week of October. As a result, fast bowler Mohammad Wasim Jr has been added to the team as a replacement.

The PCB announced a revised men's squad for the Asian Games (REUTERS)

The Pakistan team will be led by Sahibzada Farhan, with Abdul Samadas as his deputy. The selection committee did not name Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, and Naseem Shah in the squad, and it's not clear whether the management has moved beyond them or has rested them.

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The Pakistan team for the Asian Games assembled in Karachi on Sunday, and the entire squad will be participating in a training camp from Monday, September 21, to Thursday, September 14. The Farhan-led side will leave for Japan on Thursday night.

Five members of the squad, including Usman Khan, Saim Ayub, Maaz Sadaqat, Hasan Nawaz and Sufyan Moqim, are expected to join the camp following their franchise commitments, which will conclude with the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) final.

Asian Games cricket draw

The men's cricket competition at the Asian Games will begin on Monday, September 24. India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh all gained direct entry into the quarter-finals.

India and Pakistan can meet only in the bronze or gold medal match. The draw is such that there is no chance that the two teams would square off in the semi-finals.

Both India and Pakistan will play their respective quarter-finals on Monday, September 28. On the other hand, the BCCI named a full-strength squad for the Asian Games, with Shreyas Iyer set to captain the team. Jasprit Bumrah, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Tilak Varma are all a part of the side, while the contingent will be coached by VVS Laxman, as Gautam Gambhir will spearhead the upcoming ODI series against the West Indies.

Pakistan's 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 and Usman Khan (wicket-keeper).

Support staff: Mike Hesson (head coach), Ashley Noffke (bowling coach), Mansoor Amjad (fielding coach), Muhammad Tahir (physiotherapist), Imran Ullah (trainer), Usman Hashmi (analyst and the team operations coordinator).

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Vishesh Roy
Vishesh Roy is a sports journalist with a strong focus on cricket. He began his career at Asian News International (ANI), where he covered a range of high-profile events, including the India Open, Legends Cricket League, the England–India Test series in Ahmedabad in 2021, and the inauguration of the Narendra Modi Stadium. During his tenure at ANI, he also reported extensively on domestic cricket, covering several Ranji Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy matches across the country. While cricket remains his primary beat, Vishesh has also reported on tennis, football and WWE. After a stint of over three years at ANI, Vishesh moved to NDTV, where he gained hands-on experience in digital-first journalism, with a particular emphasis on live blogs and real-time news reporting. He joined Hindustan Times in October 2024 and quickly established himself with a series of exclusive interviews and source-driven stories. Ahead of the IPL 2025 auction, Hindustan Times was the first to report that the two-day event would be held in Saudi Arabia. In the early months of his tenure, Vishesh secured interviews with leading cricketers, including Pat Cummins, Shreyas Iyer, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Rashid Latif. He has also closely tracked the rise of emerging talents such as Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Priyansh Arya by speaking to their current and childhood coaches. His background in on-field reporting has helped Hindustan Times Digital break exclusive stories on major developments, including Virat Kohli’s return to the Ranji and Vijay Hazare Trophy, IPL scheduling, and the T20 World Cup controversy involving Bangladesh and Pakistan.Read More

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