Why Fakhar Zaman Misses Pakistan’s Playing XI in PAK vs NED T20 World Cup 2026 Opener

February 7, 2026: Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha has hinted that senior opener Fakhar Zaman may not play in Pakistan’s first match of the T20 World Cup 2026. Pakistan will face the Netherlands at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo on Saturday in the Group A opener.

Fakhar Zaman is 35 years old and has scored over 2,300 runs in his T20 career, including 13 half-centuries. However, his strike rate of around 130 is seen as slow as the team now wants more aggressive batting at the top.

The left-handed batter also struggled in the recent three-match T20 series against Australia, where he scored only 25 runs in total. His form in the 2025–26 ILT20 season was also poor. Playing for the Desert Vipers, he scored 260 runs in 12 matches. He had a low average of 21.66 and a strike rate of 124.4, and failed to give fast starts to his team.

Why Fakhar Zaman Has Been Dropped

Fakhar Zaman has been left out of the Playing XI due to team combination reasons. Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha said the team will play only the best combination, even if senior players have to sit out.

Speaking in the press conference before the tournament, Agha said that no player is guaranteed a place. He said if players like Fakhar Zaman or Babar Azam do not fit the team plan, they will not be included. The focus will be on what is best for the team.

Pakistan is planning to give 23-year-old Khawaja Nafay a chance in the opening match. Nafay is likely to replace Fakhar Zaman. He impressed in the last T20 match against Australia and has shown aggressive batting. In his early international games, he has a strike rate of over 174, which matches Pakistan’s need for quick scoring.

Salman Ali Agha clearly stated that we will not hesitate to drop any senior player like Babar Azam or Fakhar Zaman if they don’t fit in Pakistan’s best team combination.

- That’s what you need from a captain if you want to win. pic.twitter.com/xMZLa4wGzp

— Ahmad Haseeb (@iamAhmadhaseeb) February 6, 2026

Playing XI of PAK vs NED Match 

Pakistan playing 11: Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Agha (C), Babar Azam, Usman Khan (WK), Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Salman Mirza, Abrar Ahmed

Netherlands playing 11:Michael Levitt, Max O'Dowd, Bas de Leede, Colin Ackermann, Scott Edwards (C &WK), Zach Lion-Cachet, Logan van Beek, Roelof van der Merwe, Aryan Dutt, Kyle Klein, Paul van Meekeren