Salman Mirza Ruled Out of Asian Games 2026 Due to Thumb Injury
Sports Correspondent: Imran Sohail
Pakistan’s left-arm fast bowler Salman Mirza has been ruled out of the men’s cricket competition at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) confirmed that Mohammad Wasim Jnr has been added to the squad as Salman’s replacement. The left-arm pacer suffered a fracture to his left thumb and is currently undergoing rehabilitation.
Salman is expected to regain full fitness during the first week of October, according to the available information.
Pakistan’s Asian Games Campaign
The men’s T20 cricket competition at the Asian Games is scheduled to begin on September 24 at Korogi Athletic Park in Aichi Prefecture. The medal matches will be played on October 3.
Sahibzada Farhan will lead the Pakistan team as captain, while Abdul Samad has been named vice-captain.
Pakistan are scheduled to play their first quarterfinal on September 28 against a team that qualifies for the knockout stage. The match will be held at Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin.
The 10-team competition features India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and hosts Japan as automatic qualifiers. Nepal, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Oman secured the remaining places through the qualification round.
Pakistan Squad Holds Training Camp
The Pakistan men’s squad assembled in Karachi on Sunday for a training camp at the Hanif Mohammad High-Performance Centre.
The camp is scheduled to run from September 21 to September 24, after which the team will travel to Japan.
Five players — Usman Khan, Saim Ayub, Maaz Sadaqat, Hasan Nawaz and Sufyan Moqim — are expected to join the camp after completing their respective franchise commitments.
Updated Pakistan Squad for Asian Games 2026
- Sahibzada Farhan (Captain)
- Abdul Samad (Vice-Captain)
- Abrar Ahmed
- Ahmed Daniyal
- Akif Javed
- Ali Raza
- Arafat Minhas
- Haider Ali
- Hasan Nawaz
- Maaz Sadaqat
- Mohammad Wasim Jnr
- Saad Masood
- Saim Ayub
- Sufyan Moqim
- Usman Khan (Wicketkeeper)
With Salman Mirza unavailable, Mohammad Wasim Jnr will now be part of Pakistan’s 15-member squad for the Asian Games cricket tournament.
