Who plays for Pakistan? The national cricket team blends world-class stars with a fearless new generation. From Babar Azam — the all-time leading T20I run-scorer — to teenage pace sensations, here is the complete player landscape of 2026: batsmen, bowlers, all-rounders and keepers.
Quick answer: Pakistan’s national team stars include Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Fakhar Zaman, Shadab Khan, Salman Ali Agha (T20I captain) and Shan Masood (Test captain) — with Mohammad Rizwan currently out of the T20I setup.
In this guide
Batsmen
Babar Azam — the all-time highest run-scorer in men’s T20Is and Pakistan’s batting anchor across formats. Saim Ayub — the fearless young opener redefining Pakistan’s powerplay. Fakhar Zaman — 2017 Champions Trophy final hero, still a white-ball destroyer. Shan Masood — Test captain and red-ball mainstay. Abdul Samad, Maaz Sadaqat, Haider Ali — the next wave breaking through via the Asian Games and Shaheens setups.
Bowlers
Shaheen Shah Afridi — new-ball spearhead and ODI captain. Naseem Shah — pace and swing at the other end. Haris Rauf — Pakistan’s highest T20I wicket-taker, currently out of the World Cup squad but central to bilateral plans. Abrar Ahmed — mystery spin; Usman Tariq — the new spin option. Mohammad Salman Mirza, Akif Javed, Ali Raza — emerging quicks.
All-rounders
Shadab Khan — leg-spin plus late-order hitting, Pakistan’s T20 utility man. Salman Ali Agha — T20I captain, batting all-rounder. Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Arafat Minhas — the balance providers every squad needs.
Wicketkeepers
Sahibzada Farhan — first-choice T20I keeper-batter and Asian Games captain. Usman Khan, Khawaja Mohammad Nafay — World Cup squad keepers. Mohammad Rizwan — out of T20Is for over a year but still the ODI gloveman. Muhammad Ghazi Ghori — uncapped, in the ODI squad.
See the full squad selections in our Pakistan squad pillar guide.
Who is Pakistan’s best player?
By records: Babar Azam (batting) and Shaheen Shah Afridi (bowling). By current impact: Saim Ayub’s emergence has been the story of 2025–26.
How many players are in Pakistan’s pool?
Captain Salman Ali Agha confirmed a core pool of about 25 players rotating through squads toward the 2026 World Cup.