Khawaja Nafay earned his maiden national call-up.
Pakistan have included a dynamic batter, Khawaja Nafay, in their T20I squad for the Sri Lanka tour. Nafay will be part of the national team for the first time, and his selection was well on the cards. He has been performing well in the format for a while, and with most main players absent, the selectors decided to try him ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026.
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Khawaja Nafay is a 23-year-old batter known for his hard-hitting batting. He made his T20 debut in 2024 and has played 32 matches in the format, scoring 688 runs at an average of 23.72 and a strike rate of 132.81 in 32 innings. Additionally, he also has seven fifties and a best of 68.
In the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2024, he made his debut for Quetta Gladiators and impressed with his batting attributes in patches. He scored 182 runs at an average of 22.75 and a strike rate of 121.33 in 10 innings, including a fifty. In PSL 2025, Khawaja Nafay could only play two innings, scoring 52 runs at a strike rate of 173.33.
He has also played eight BPL games, with 214 runs at an average of 26.75 and a strike rate of 135.44, comprising three fifties. Recently, the batter was part of the T10 League 2025, where he was the leading run-scorer for Quetta Qavalry. Nafay scored 178 runs at an average of 44.50 and a strike rate of 243.83 in eight outings, with a best of 45*.
Additionally, Khawaja Nafay has also played five First Class matches, accumulating 143 runs at an average of 20.42 in eight innings, including a century. He has also featured in two List A cricket matches, scoring six runs. His T20 credentials and T10 success resulted in his selection for the national team.
The possibility of him being in the T20 World Cup 2026 squad is very high. The likes of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan haven’t shown enough improvement in their strike rate and might not be considered for the mega event. Pakistan also tried Mohammad Haris, but with no great success, whereas Saim Ayub has his own issues.
They would want more dashers at the top. A lot will depend on how Khawaja Nafay performs in the Sri Lanka series. If his performances remain encouraging, Pakistan will rope him for the T20 World Cup 2026, given that they will play all their matches in Sri Lanka only.
They tend to give importance to recent form and will want their most in-form batters for the tournament. Then, their options are limited for the tournament. Hence, Khawaja Nafay has a real shot at being a surprise selection.
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