Why Faheem Ashraf is Not Playing Today in PAK vs ENG T20 World Cup Match?

Pakistan and England come face-to-face with each other for the 45th match of the ongoing T20 World Cup. The crucial Super 8 clash is being hosted by the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium on February 24.

England started their Super 8 campaign with a win over the hosts Sri Lanka, while Pakistan's match of this stage got washed out due to rain. Meanwhile, Pakistan skipper Salman Ali Agha won the toss and opted to bat first while also announcing one change in the playing XI as their star all-rounder Faheem Ashraf has been dropped for the match.

Why Faheem Ashraf is Not Playing Today Against England?

All-rounder Faheem Ashraf was forced to miss out on the PAK vs ENG T20 World Cup 2026 match as the Pakistan team management brought their lead pacer Shaheen Afridi back into the playing XI for the crucial game. Afridi was picked as Faheem Ashraf replacement due to his experience of playing big matches.

There aren't any injury blows or fitness concerns regarding Ashraf, but keeping their key player like Shaheen Afridi out of the match wouldn't have been a wise move. Although Afridi's performance in the ongoing tournament has been ineffective, his presence and experience can help the Men in Green during the crucial situations.

Faheem Ashraf has played every match of the tournament but hasn't made much contributions on the spin-friendly surfaces in Sri Lanka. Ashraf is one of the best all-rounders in the world, but has been clearly underused in this tournament.

Shaheen Afridi's Lacklustre Performance in T20 World Cup 2026

Pakistan's star pacer Shaheen Afridi has played three matches in the T20 World Cup 2026, but has managed to take only three wickets, which surely doesn't do justice to the kind of talent he is. The lack of wickets isn't the only concern with Shaheen; the left-arm pacer has also been quite expensive as he has leaked runs at an economy rate of 11.22.

However, the surface in Pallekele majorly favours the pacers, so it would be interesting to see if Shaheen would be able to get back into his rhythm or the wait for his comeback continues. Meanwhile, Shaheen will also have the assistance of Salman Mirza, another left-arm pacer, for this game.

Afridi is one of the best T20 bowlers in the world, which makes him one of the players to watch out for. He will be key with the new ball in the PAK vs ENG T20 World Cup match and can be effective during the slog overs as well.