Pakistani star fast bowler Haris Rauf is likely to be dropped from the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 squad, local media reported on Tuesday.
According to reports, head coach Mike Hesson is against Rauf’s inclusion in the 15-member squad for the ICC T20 World Cup since the Asia Cup final.
The fast bowler has not played a T20I for the Green Shirts since September 28, 2025, during the Asia Cup final against India, which Pakistan lost, and is currently playing for Melbourne Stars in Australia’s Big Bash League (BBL).
Despite his absence from the Pakistan setup in recent times, Rauf has been one of the top performers for the national team in the T20 format.
With 133 wickets in 94 matches, Haris Rauf is the leading wicket-taker in T20Is for Pakistan at the time.
The 32-year-old is currently also the top wicket taker of BBL 15 so far, with 18 wickets in 10 matches at an economy of 7.96.
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Meanwhile, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has already submitted a preliminary 20-player squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup to the International Cricket Council (ICC). The deadline for submitting the final team for the 20-team tournament, scheduled to be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka from February 7 to March 8, is January 31. After this date, a committee is entitled to allow any replacements.
According to Geo News, the probable players for the World Cup squad include captain Salman Ali Agha, Sahibzada Farhan, Shadab Khan, Saim Ayub, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Usman Khan and Abrar Ahmed.
Other players under consideration are Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah, and Khawaja Nafay, while Abdul Samad, Mohammad Wasim Jr and Usman Tariq are likely to be named among the reserve players.
Pakistan is included in Group A of the ICC T20 World Cup, alongside India, the USA, the Netherlands, and Namibia.
The Green Shirts will begin their World Cup campaign against Netherland on February 7, 2026, in Colombo.
Pakistan is scheduled to play all of their matches in Sri Lanka; Colombo will host their four Group stage clashes, with Super Eights matches also scheduled in Colombo and Kandy.
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