Abbas Afridi to lead Pakistan at the Hong Kong Sixes 2026, the Pakistan Cricket Board announced on Friday, naming a seven-man squad for the six-a-side tournament.
Squad and schedule
Along with fast bowler Mohammad Abbas Afridi, the PCB named Abdul Samad, Ahmed Daniyal, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Khawaja Nafay, Muhammad Shahzad and Saad Masood. The tournament runs from October 30 to November 1 at the Tin Kwong Road Recreation Ground in Hong Kong, and the team is due to leave Pakistan on October 28.
Twelve teams will be split into four pools of three, and Pakistan have been placed in Pool C. Published schedules cited by Tapmad and CricketNews put India and the UAE in the same pool, with Pakistan facing both on the opening day.
Why Abbas Afridi to lead Pakistan again matters
Pakistan are the defending champions. Under Afridi’s captaincy they won the previous edition on November 9, 2025, beating Kuwait in the final, according to Business Recorder. The board had also named him captain for that campaign when it announced its squad in October 2025.
Four names in the new squad, Abdul Samad, Khawaja Nafay, Muhammad Shahzad and Saad Masood, were also part of the squad the board announced last October, according to the PCB’s announcement from that time. Last year’s team left for Hong Kong on November 5 and played its group matches from November 7.
What comes next
Pakistan’s group fixtures begin on October 30, and the group winners progress to the Cup semi-finals. Each side fields six players, so one member of the seven-man party will not take the field in a given match. The finals are scheduled for November 1, where Pakistan will try to retain the trophy they lifted last year.
