Pakistan national team head coach Mike Hesson has taken many tough decisions in the past which have benefited the Pakistan team in the tournament and now he has reportedly shown no interest in selecting Haris Rauf for the ICC T20 World Cup 2026.
Every country is preparing for the ICC T20 World Cup and Pakistan too. Pakistan are scheduled to play all their World Cup matches in Sri Lanka and so recently scheduled a series in the island nation, which ended in a tie between the two teams after a rain-affected contest.
While head coach Mike Hesson is preparing for the World Cup and forming the final squad based on tactical understanding, on the contrary, the PCB has issued a warning to the ICC that if Bangladesh’s issues are not resolved, they may also withdraw from the ICC mega-event next month.
Mike Hesson does not want Haris Rauf in the team for T20 World Cup
According to the latest reports, Pakistan team national coach Mike Hesson, who achieved success in the Asia Cup 2025 with some bold moves, has decided to make a bold move ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup as well.
The former New Zealand star has decided to drop Pakistan fast bowler Haris Rauf from the team for the upcoming World Cup. Haris Rauf is a veteran of this format and has taken 133 international wickets in this format for Pakistan. Rauf has had a fantastic BBL season with 18 wickets in 10 matches.
However, he is not considered very economical and has given away a lot of runs in the Asia Cup 2025, especially in the final against India where Tilak Verma destroyed him. So Hesson’s plan would be to not select him for this marquee tournament as he was dropped for the recent bilateral encounter against Sri Lanka.
No Haris Rauf in T20 World Cup
– Mike Hesson does not want Haris Rauf in the team after the Asia Cup final. (Geo News) pic.twitter.com/rymdTCI57Y
– Sherry. (@CallMeSheri1_) 20 January 2026
Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah will lead the fast bowling attack for Pakistan
Possibly, left-arm fast bowler Shaheen Afridi, who has also been named the captain of the ODI team, will return to Pakistan’s squad for the ICC T20 World Cup. Currently, he is in rehab after suffering a minor injury in the BBL.
On the other hand, another fast bowler Naseem Shah also could not play in the Asia Cup, who will make a comeback for Pakistan this time. He played for Pakistan in the third T20I against Sri Lanka and took one wicket, while he had a great debut in the ILT20 with Desert Vipers, where he took 12 wickets for the champion team.
Along with these two frontline pacers, Mohammad Wasim Jr has also been a part of Pakistan’s proceedings in the format. With the dominance of spin bowling in the subcontinent, the two spinners Mohammad Nawaz and Shadab Khan will play a big role along with Abrar Ahmed.
The upcoming Australia series will set the benchmark for Pakistan’s final squad for the ICC T20 World Cup. Mike Hesson will likely ensure every player a spot in the series he wants to feature in the prestigious ICC tournament.
Will Babar Azam be selected for ICC tournament after flop debut in BBL?
Pakistan legend Babar Azam has not received any special treatment from foreign coaches, be it Jason Gillespie or Mike Hesson. Gillespie left him out of the Test squad against England, while Hesson dropped him ahead of the Asia Cup 2025.
Babar made a comeback for Pakistan in the shortest format, but his performance was not very impressive except for a few runs. However, a lot was riding on his BBL debut for the Sydney Sixers. In the BBL season, after playing 10 games, he could only score 202 runs, with only 4 double-digit scores, two of which were half-centuries.
However, what has been frightening for Babar and Pakistan is the veteran’s strike rate, which stands at around 104. After his disappointing performance in the BBL, Babar Azam’s chances of making it to the T20 World Cup are slim, especially under Mike Hesson.
Also read: Will Scotland play T20 World Cup 2026? ICC silent as Bangladesh denies shocking ultimatum claim
