The Pakistan Cricket Board has made a change to the national men’s squad midway through the ongoing one day international tri series involving England and Sri Lanka, releasing left arm wrist spinner Sufiyan Moqim and adding left handed batter Maaz Sadaqat as cover. The board announced the move on Sunday, October 25, 2026, as the series moved to Lahore, and explained the decision in terms of conditions and squad fitness rather than form alone. It is a small change on paper, but it tells a clear story about how Pakistan’s selectors are reading the pitches in front of them.
In a brief statement, the board said Sufiyan had been released from the squad keeping in view the nature of the Lahore pitches, and that he would return to domestic cricket. Maaz, meanwhile, had been added as cover for players carrying minor niggles. The wording matters because it frames both moves as practical decisions for the next phase of the tournament, not as a permanent judgement on either player. Sufiyan has not been dropped from Pakistan cricket. He has been sent back to play domestic matches while the national side plays on surfaces that may offer less to his style of bowling.
The timing of the change is linked directly to the move of venues. The opening three matches of the tri series were played in Rawalpindi, and the series then shifted to Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. Dawn reported that the pitches in Rawalpindi generally favoured pace bowling, which limited opportunities for specialist spinners. That context helps explain why a wrist spinner might be surplus to requirements in the short term, even in a squad that will still need spin options later in the competition. Selectors often keep a squad balanced for the conditions ahead, and carrying a player who is unlikely to play can block a place that could be used for cover elsewhere.
Maaz, by contrast, arrives with momentum as a batter. The 21 year old left hander from Peshawar made an immediate impact on his one day international debut against Bangladesh earlier this year, and he recently impressed in the Twenty20 international series against Sri Lanka, scoring consecutive half centuries. One of those innings was a rapid 96 off 51 balls that helped Pakistan post their highest Twenty20 international total at home. That kind of aggressive batting at the top or in the middle order can change the tempo of an innings, and it is easy to see why selectors would want such a player close to the squad, even as cover, during a home series. Maaz is also an occasional left arm orthodox spinner, which gives the captain a further option if conditions or match ups call for it, although his main value to this squad is with the bat.
The updated squad remains led by Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Pakistan continue their campaign in Lahore ahead of the final on October 31 at the same venue. That final date gives the Lahore leg a clear shape. The remaining league matches will decide who reaches the final, and the conditions at Gaddafi Stadium will play a part in those results. If the pitches in Lahore do offer more to batters or to pace, as the board’s reasoning suggests, then the balance of the side will matter as much as individual brilliance. If they turn more than expected, Pakistan may miss a wrist spinner of Sufiyan’s type, and the decision will be judged again in hindsight.
