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A half-century by Tim Seifert and skipper Mitchell Santner’s three wickets steered New Zealand to a 50-run consolation win over India in the fourth T20 international on Wednesday.

New Zealand posted 215-7 after being put in to bat thanks to a century stand between openers Seifert, who hit 62 off 36 balls, and Devon Conway, who struck 44, in Visakhapatnam.

Santner led the bowling attack with figures of 3 for 26 as New Zealand dismissed India for 165, pulling one back after the hosts had sealed the five‑match series in the third game.

The two teams now head into the fifth match on Saturday, the final tune-up ahead of the T20 World Cup starting February 7 in India and Sri Lanka.

New Zealand started strongly with Seifert taking on Arshdeep Singh in the opening over with three successive fours and keeping up the attack in the next over off Harshit Rana.

Conway joined the charge as New Zealand raced to 100 in 8.1 overs and Seifert reached his fifty in 25 balls.

Left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav broke through as he removed Conway with Rinku Singh taking his first of four catches in the innings.

Jasprit Bumrah dismissed Rachin Ravindra, caught and bowled for two, in the next over and soon Arshdeep cut short Seifert’s knock with his left-arm pace.

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Kuldeep had Glenn Phillips out for 24 off 16 balls and suddenly New Zealand seemed to lose their way before Daryl Mitchell stepped in.

Mitchell struck an unbeaten 18-ball 39 and hit two fours and three sixes to boost the Kiwi total.

In reply, India lost swashbuckling opener Abhishek Sharma on the first ball with Matt Henry drawing a top edge to third man.

Skipper Suryakumar Yadav fell in the next over, caught and bowled for eight off Jacob Duffy.

Santner’s left-arm spin then accounted for Sanju Samson (24) and Hardik Pandya as India slipped to 63-4.

Shivam Dube hit back in his 23-ball 65, clubbing seven sixes and three fours as he reached his fifty in just 15 deliveries.

But he was run out in an unlucky manner when a shot from Rana grazed Henry’s hand and deflected onto the stumps at the non-striker’s end.

Wickets kept tumbling and the Indian innings folded in 18.4 overs.

READ: Stokes, Moeen added to England Lions coaching staff for Pakistan series

LONDON: Ben Stokes and Moeen Ali are set to join England Lions coaching staff for the upcoming white-ball series against Pakistan Shaheens, slated to commence in Abu Dhabi next month.

According to the England Cricket Board (ECB) press release, the tour involves three T20 matches, which will be followed by five 50 over fixtures.

Jordan Cox will captain the Lions in the T20s while Dan Mousley will take charge of the 50-over team.

“Jordan Cox and Dan Mousley will captain the England Lions’ T20 and 50-over squads respectively during next month’s white-ball series against Pakistan Shaheens in the United Arab Emirates,” the board said.

Following the announcement, ECB Men’s Performance Director, Ed Barney shared his views on the tour, emphasizing the tour as a buildup towards the 50 overs World Cup set to be held in 2027.

“It’s exciting to have such a strong England Lions squad selected. This group brings a real blend of proven performers, exciting talent who have performed over the winter and retains an eye on future best,” he said.

“With limited 50-over cricket on offer, this series combined with tours over the remainder of 2026 will give players the opportunity to develop and deliver as we build towards the 2027 ICC Men’s World Cup in South Africa,” he added.

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England Lions head coach Andrew Flintoff will oversee the coaching responsibilities that will also include Troy Cooley’s, who will be joining the team for the first time since returning to the ECB as Men’s Elite National Pace Bowling Lead.

Moreover, the coaching setup will also include Neil McKenzie, Sarah Taylor, Neil Killeen, former all-rounder Moeen Ali, Amar Rashid and England’s Test skipper Ben Stokes.

The opening match of the tour will commence on Friday 20 February 2026 at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi

T20 squad

Sonny Baker, Luc Benkenstein, James Coles, Sam Cook, Jordan Cox (c), Scott Currie, Calvin Harrison, Eddie Jack, Saqib Mahmood, Ben McKinney, Tom Moores, Dan Mousley, Matt Revis, Will Smeed, Nathan Sowter, Mitchell Stanley and Asa Tribe.

50-over squad

Sonny Baker, Luc Benkenstein, James Coles, Sam Cook, Jordan Cox, Scott Currie, Calvin Harrison, Eddie Jack, Ben McKinney, Dan Mousley (c), Liam Patterson-White, Matthew Potts, Matt Revis, James Rew, Mitchell Stanley, Asa Tribe and James Wharton.

READ: U19 World Cup: Australia edge West Indies to seal semi-final berth

HARARE: Skipper Oliver Peake led from the front with a sublime century, ably backed by Charles Lachmund’s clincial bowling helped Australia seal a narrow win over West Indies in the Super Sixes of the ICC Men’s U19 World Cup 2026 here at the Harare Sports Club on Wednesday.

Set daunting 315, West Indies fell short by 22 runs despite a spirited batting effort.

With this win, Australia marched in the semi-final of the U19 World Cup.

West Indies opening pair laid a solid foundation with a 88 run stand in 11.3 overs.

Zachary Carter and Jewel Andrew capitalized on strong start, adding 35 for the second partnership, bringing the score to 123 in 15.1 overs.

Carter’s brisk 64 off 42 included four sixes and seven boundaries, keeping the run rate healthy.

Despite the wickets, West Indies cruised on as skipper Joshua Dorne and Jewel Andrew held the innings together with a 48 run partnership.

The scorecard read when 171 in 26.1 overs when Jewel Andrew was cleaned bowled. The left-hander made 44 from 38 with the aid of six boundaries and two sixes.

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With West Indies going well in pursuit of the target till the 40th over, Australian bowlers struck twice to take the control of the proceedings.

The well set batters Joshua Dorne (62 from 97) and Kunal Tilokani (35 off 42) were sent back in a span of two overs.

As a result, West Indies were reduced to 246-5 with their lower order facing an uphill task to climb.

In the last overs, Australia held on their nerve and limited West Indies batters to go big which resulted in their victory.

For Australia, Charles Lachmund topped the wicket column with four scalps to his name. Hayden Schiller and Aryan Sharma picked up two each.

Earlier, put into bat first, Australia racked up 3`14-7 at the end of their 50 overs.

The highlight of the Australian inning was the 85 run stand between skipper Oliver Peake’s and Alex Lee Young for the third wicket.

Peake scored a scintillating 109 from 117 with the aid of nine fours and six whereas Lee Young struck two sixes and four boundaries.

For West Indies, R’Jai Gittens and Jakeem Pollard claimed a brace each.

READ: Gillespie reacts to appointment as Hyderabad coach for PSL 11

Former Australia fast bowler Jason Gillespie has shared his excitement after being named head coach of new franchise Hyderabad ahead of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) season 11, scheduled to begin on March 26.

Hyderabad is one of the two new franchises added to the PSL roster ahead of season 11, with Sialkot Stallionz being the other new entrant.

The Hyderabad franchise is owned by Fawad Sarwar’s Kingsmen group and was secured through the PSL auction with a winning bid of Rs 1.75 billion ($6.25 million).

The announcement for the head coach was made through the Kingsmen Cricket social media handle, where the franchise shared a graphic featuring Gillespie along with a statement confirming his appointment.

 

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Following the announcement, Gillespie took to X handle, noting that he is eager to join the franchise ahead of the landmark PSL 11.

“Beyond excited to be part of the @KingsmenCricket family. So looking forward to being part of the Hyderabad team,” he wrote.

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For those unaware, the 50-year-old has previously worked in Pakistan cricket and was appointed as head coach of the national Test side in April 2024.

However, his stint was short-lived as he resigned ahead of Pakistan’s two-match Test series in South Africa in December 2024, amid reports of differences with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and difficulties in aligning with the team management.

Notably, the Hyderabad management is yet to officially unveil its team name and logo for the tournament.

READ: Former India all-rounder picks Pakistan as T20 World Cup semi-finalist

Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan has predicted that Pakistan would reach the semi-finals of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, scheduled to begin on 7 February across India and Sri Lanka.

Irfan’s unveiled his choice on Star Sports, alongside several other Indian cricketers, who also named their semi-finalists team for the mega event.

Among the panel comprising former Indian cricketers — Robin Uthappa, Anil Kumble, Aakash Chopra, Cheteshwar Pujara, Mohammad Kaif and Suresh Raina,
only Irfan Pathan included Pakistan in his list of teams expected to reach the last four.

Besides, Pakistan, the all-rounder chose Australia, India and England to reach the semi-final.

The marquee event will run until March 8, featuring 20 teams competing across a packed schedule of 55 matches, including the semi-finals and final.

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The 20 teams have been divided into four groups of five, with the top two sides from each group progressing to the Super Eight stage, where the race to the knockout rounds will intensify.

The opening match of the marquee event is scheduled between Pakistan and the Netherlands in Colombo.

Pakistan is drawn into Group A alongside India, Netherlands, USA and Namibia, with their all matches scheduled in Sri Lanka as per hybrid model.

Pakistan will play their second fixture against the USA on 10 February, followed by the highly anticipated clash between Pakistan and India, set to be held on 15 February in Colombo.

The winner of the 2009 edition, last group stage match will be against Namibia on 18 February.

Pakistan T20 World Cup Squad

Salman Ali Agha (Captain), 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.

Pakistan World Cup fixtures

Pakistan vs Netherlands: February 7, Colombo

Pakistan vs USA: February 10, Colombo

Pakistan vs India: February 15, Colombo

Pakistan vs Namibia: February 18, Colombo

READ: Pakistan-Australia T20I series trophy unveiled

LAHORE: The trophy for the three-match T20I series between Pakistan and Australia has been unveiled here at the Gaddafi Stadium on Wednesday.

Pakistan skipper Salman Ali Agha and Australia’s captain Mitchell March posed with the trophy ahead of the pre-series press conference.

The series which serves as a dress rehearsal for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, will begin on 29 January at the Gaddafi Stadium.

All three fixtures of the series will be played at the same venue, with the toss scheduled for 3:30 pm PKT.

 

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The T20I series will mark only Australia’s second series in the format on Pakistani soil after a solitary T20I in April 2022 at Gaddafi Stadium.

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Salman Ali Agha will continue lead the Pakistan side while Australia could be without their captain Marsh.

According to reports, Marsh and wicketkeeper-batter Josh Inglis are unlikely to feature in the opening match after arriving in Pakistan only on Wednesday, just days after their Perth Scorchers lifted a record-extending sixth Big Bash League title on Sunday.

With Marsh sitting out, Head will take charge of Australia for only the second time in his career. His only previous stint as T20I captain came in Cardiff in 2024, when he led Australia against England.

Pakistan squad

 Salman Ali Agha (c), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Mohammad Nafay (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan (wk), Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan (wk) and Usman Tariq.

Australia squad

Mitch Marsh (c), Sean Abbott, Xavier Bartlett, Mahli Beardman, Cooper Connolly, Ben Dwarshuis, Jack Edwards, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matthew Kuhnemann, Mitch Owen, Josh Philippe, Matthew Renshaw, Matt Short, Marcus Stoinis and Adam Zampa.

READ: Babar Azam, Saim Ayub climb ICC rankings ahead of Australia T20Is

KARACHI: Rashid Naseem on Wednesday became the first Pakistani athlete to set 150 individual Guinness World Records (GWR), the global authority on record-breaking achievements confirmed.

Rashid etched his name into history book after shattering multiple record, including 340 full-extension punches in one minute while holding a 1-kg weight.

He also registered unique records to his name in egg-and-walnut and nunchaku categories.  The all records are now listed on Guinness World Record official website.

In 2025 alone, 31 records have been approved, after 28 records in 2024. He dedicated his 150th record to Palestine.

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Despite bringing global recognition to Pakistan, Rashid Naseem says he has received no government appreciation.

It is worth mentioning that Rashid also holds world records across punching, martial arts, breaking, knee strikes, stick, nunchaku, skipping, and jumping jacks, and has defeated India over 40 times, also breaking records from China, USA, England, Iran, and Switzerland.

For those unaware, Guinness World Records also highlighted Rashid and his daughter achievements on its official page as part of the 70th anniversary celebrations held in November 2025.

READ: Salman Ali Agha defends Babar Azam despite below-par BBL

DUBAI: Pakistan batters Babar Azam and Saim Ayub have received a timely boost in the latest ICC T20I batting rankings, released ahead of the Green Shirts’ home series against Australia.

Pakistan are set to host Australia in a three-match T20I series, beginning tomorrow, which will serve as the national side’s final assignment before the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.

According to the updated ICC rankings, Babar Azam has climbed one place to 31st, while Saim Ayub made a two-position jump to move into joint 35th.

Saim now shares the spot with West Indies batter Brandon King, who also made a significant improvement, climbing 15 places to reach the same position.

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Sahibzada Farhan continues to be Pakistan’s highest-ranked batter in the format, holding firm at fifth in the T20I batting rankings. Meanwhile, Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha is currently placed at 41st.

Pakistan also witnessed gains in the bowling charts as Abrar Ahmed improved by one spot and is now placed joint fourth, alongside New Zealand pacer Jacob Duffy.

Fast bowler Salman Mirza also moved up by one place to sit at 18th. However, all-rounder Mohammad Nawaz slipped two places, dropping to 15th in the latest update.

Meanwhile, Saim Ayub also registered progress in bowling rankings, improving by one place to reach 54th.

READ: Salman Ali Agha defends Babar Azam despite below-par BBL

The highly anticipated ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 is set to begin on 7 February, and nearly all participating teams have announced their squads, except the USA and the UAE.

The marquee event will run until March 8, featuring 20 teams competing across a packed schedule of 55 matches, including the semi-finals and final.

The 20 teams have been divided into four groups of five, with the top two sides from each group progressing to the Super Eight stage, where the race to the knockout rounds will intensify.

Notably, defending champions India became the first team to officially unveil their squad for the tournament.

Group A features Pakistan and India alongside the USA, Namibia and the Netherlands, setting up a high-voltage contest early in the tournament.

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Group B includes 2022 champions Australia, co-hosts Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Oman and Ireland, making it one of the more unpredictable groups in the competition.

Group C brings together two of the tournament’s most decorated sides, England and West Indies, and also includes Italy, who are set to make history with their first-ever T20 World Cup appearance.

The group is further strengthened by Scotland, who earned a late entry into the tournament after replacing Bangladesh.

Meanwhile, Group D features New Zealand, 2024 runners-up South Africa, along with Afghanistan and Canada, ensuring no shortage of quality contests in the group stage.

Squads for T20 World Cup 2026

Group A

India: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Rinku Singh.

USA: Monank Patel (C), Jessy Singh, Andries Gous, Shehan Jayasuriya, Milind Kumar, Shayan Jahangir, Saiteja Mukkamala, Sanjay Krishnamurthi, Harmeet Singh, Nosthush Kenjige, Shadley Van Schalkwyk, Saurabh Netravalkar, Ali Khan, Mohammad Mohsin, Shubham Ranjane.

Namibia: Gerhard Erasmus (c), Zane Green, Bernard Scholtz, Ruben Trumpelmann, JJ Smit, Jan Frylinck, Louren Steenkamp, Malan Kruger, Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Jack Brassell, Ben Shikongo, JC Balt, Dylan Leicher, WP Myburgh, Max Heingo.

Reserve: Alexander Volschenk.

Netherlands: Scott Edwards (c), Colin Ackermann, Noah Croes, Bas de Leede, Aryan Dutt, Fred Klaassen, Kyle Klein, Michael Levitt, Zach Lion-Cachet, Max O’Dowd, Logan van Beek, Timm van der Gugten, Roelof van der Merwe, Paul van Meekeren, Saqib Zulfiqar

Pakistan: Salman Ali Agha (c), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Mohammad Nafay, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan, Usman Tariq.

Group B

Australia: Mitchell Marsh (c), Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Ben Dwarshuis, Cameron Green, Nathan Ellis, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matthew Kuhnemann, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Renshaw, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa.

Sri Lanka [preliminary squad]: Dasun Shanaka (c), Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, Kamil Mishara, Kusal Perera, Dhananjaya de Silva, Niroshan Dickwella, Janith Liyanage, Charith Asalanka, Kamindu Mendis, Pavan Rathnayake, Sahan Arachchige, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dunith Wellalage, Milan Rathnayake, Nuwan Thushara, Eshan Malinga, Dushmantha Chameera, Pramod Madushan, Matheesha Pathirana, Dilshan Madushanka, Maheesh Theekshana, Dushan Hemantha, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth, Traveen Mathew

Zimbabwe: Sikandar Raza (c), Brian Bennett, Ryan Burl, Graeme Cremer, Bradley Evans, Clive Madande, Tinotenda Maposa, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Wellington Masakadza, Tony Munyonga, Tashinga Musekiwa, Blessing Muzarabani, Dion Myers, Richard Ngarava, Brendan Taylor

Ireland: Paul Stirling (c), Mark Adair, Ross Adair, Ben Calitz, Curtis Campher, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Matthew Humphreys, Josh Little, Barry McCarthy, Harry Tector, Tim Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Ben White, Craig Young

Oman: Jatinder Singh (c), Vinayak Shukla, Mohammad Nadeem, Shakeel Ahmad, Hammad Mirza, Wasim Ali, Karan Sonavale, Shah Faisal, Nadeem Khan, Sufyan Mehmood, Jay Odedra, Shafiq Jan, Ashish Odedara, Jiten Ramanandi, Hasnain Ali Shah.

Group C

England: Harry Brook (c), Rehan Ahmed, Jofra Archer, Tom Banton, Jacob Bethell, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Liam Dawson, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Jamie Overton, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Josh Tongue, Luke Wood

West Indies: Shai Hope (c), Shimron Hetmyer, Johnson Charles, Roston Chase, Matthew Forde, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Shamar Joseph, Brandon King, Gudakesh Motie, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Quentin Sampson, Jayden Seales, Romario Shepherd

Scotland: Richie Berrington (c), Tom Bruce, Matthew Cross, Bradley Currie, Oliver Davidson, Chris Greaves, Zainullah Ihsan, Michael Jones, Michael Leask, Finlay McCreath, Brandon McMullen, George Munsey, Safyaan Sharif, Mark Watt, Bradley Wheal. Travelling reserves: Jasper Davidson, Jack Jarvis, Non-travelling reserves: Mackenzie Jones, Chris McBride, Charlie Tear

Italy: Wayne Madsen (c), Marcus Campopiano, Gian Piero Meade, Zain Ali, Ali Hasan, Crishan Jorge, Harry Manenti, Anthony Mosca, Justin Mosca, Syed Naqvi, Benjamin Manenti, Jaspreet Singh, JJ Smuts, Grant Stewart, Thomas Draca

Nepal: Rohit Paudel (c), Dipendra Singh Airee, Sandeep Lamichhane, Kushal Bhurtel, Aasif Sheikh, Sundeep Jora, Aarif Sheikh, Basir Ahamad, Sompal Kami, Karan KC, Nandan Yadav, Gulshan Jha, Lalit Rajbanshi, Sher Malla, Lokesh Bam

Group D

South Africa: Aiden Markram(c), Quinton de Kock, Tony de Zorzi, Dewald Brevis, David Miller, Donovan Ferreira, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Kwena Maphaka, Lungi Ngidi, Jason Smith, George Linde, Corbin Bosch, Anrich Nortje

New Zealand: Mitchell Santner (c), Finn Allen, Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Daryl Mitchell, Kyle Jamieson, James Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi

Reserve: Ben Sears

Afghanistan: Rashid Khan (C), Noor Ahmad, Abdullah Ahmadzai, Sediqullah Atal, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Naveen Ul Haq, Mohammad Ishaq, Shahidullah Kamal, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Darwish Rasooli, Ibrahim Zadran.

Reserves: AM Ghazanfar, Ijaz Ahmadzai, and Zia Ur Rahman Sharifi.

Canada: Dilpreet Bajwa (c), Ajayveer Hundal, Ansh Patel, Dilon Heyliger, Harsh Thaker, Jaskarandeep Buttar, Kaleem Sana, Kanwarpal Tathgur, Navneet Dhaliwal, Nicholas Kirton, Ravinderpal Singh, Saad Bin Zafar, Shivam Sharma, Shreyas Movva, Yuvraj Samra.

UAE: Muhammad Waseem (c), Alishan Sharafu, Aryansh Sharma, Dhruv Parashar, Haider Ali, Harshit Kaushik, Junaid Siddique, Mayank Kumar, Muhammad Arfan, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Zohaib, Rohid Khan, Sohaib Khan, Simranjeet Singh.

READ: WATCH: Rizwan becomes first Pakistan player to be retired out in T20s

LAHORE: Pakistan T20I captain Salman Ali Agha on Wednesday came out strongly in defence of star batter Babar Azam ahead of the national team’s three-match series against Australia, set to begin on Thursday at the Gaddafi Stadium.

Salman addressed the media in Lahore a day before the opening match of the three-game series, which will be played from January 29 to February 1 at the same venue.

During the press conference, Salman was asked whether Babar could regain form after a below-par Big Bash League (BBL) 15 campaign for Sydney Sixers, where he scored 202 runs in 11 matches, averaging 22.44 with a strike rate of 103.06.

However, the Pakistan captain dismissed the concern, stating that Babar’s performances for Pakistan matter more than what he does in the BBL, insisting the franchise cricket form should not be used to judge his value.

“I wish someday I attend a press conference and not get asked about Babar Azam,” Salman said. “You [media] need to leave him and let him play his game, and also focus on other players.”

“Look, I agree Babar did not play as per expectations in the BBL, but for us, he has been a proven performer always, so I have no issues. For me, it only matters how he plays for Pakistan. What he does in the BBL does not matter to me.”

Babar, who remains one of Pakistan’s most reliable batters in the format, played eight T20Is in 2025, scoring 206 runs at an impressive average of 34.33, including two half-centuries.

His strike rate, however, remained under scrutiny, standing at 114.44.

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Salman Ali Agha also spoke about Pakistan’s approach in home conditions, highlighting how scoring patterns change depending on pitches and match situations.

“We have scored more than 200 in these conditions as well, you can see last year’s Bangladesh series,” he said. “But when you don’t get that kind of batting condition, then scoring big becomes difficult.”

The Pakistan captain stressed that modern T20 cricket has become highly competitive, leaving no room for complacency.

“In T20 cricket, there is no big or small team,” Salman said. “In international cricket, no team is easy.”

Calling the Australia series “very important,” Salman said Pakistan would look to address the shortcomings in their game and execute roles according to conditions.

“This series against Australia is very important,” he said. “We will try to cover the gaps in our game. We all know our roles, how we have to play according to the conditions.”

Notably, the three-match T20I series will serve as crucial preparation for both teams ahead of the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.

READ: Jason Gillespie appointed head coach of PSL’s new Hyderabad franchise