Former Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has highlighted young Pakistani wicketkeeper-batter Khawaja Nafay as a player to watch in the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.
Ashwin shared his view on the social media platform X, writing: “This KM Nafay is a player to keep an eye on this World Cup.”
Nafay’s selection was explained by Pakistan’s white-ball head coach Mike Hesson during a recent media conference after the squad announcement.
“We considered Sahibzada Farhan as a backup wicketkeeper, but the extra workload made him more vulnerable to injury. That was not a risk we wanted to take,” Hesson said. “Farhan is an important player for us, and putting him in that position could have forced our hand.”
Hesson said Khawaja Nafay was selected because he provides middle-order power hitting and can also serve as a wicketkeeping option if needed. He added that the team is comfortable with its two wicketkeeping choices.
The 23-year-old made his international debut during Pakistan’s recent three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka. He impressed with a quick 26 off 15 balls, hitting one four and one six.
Nafay has performed well in short-format cricket, especially for the Quetta Gladiators in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) and for Pakistan Shaheens.
He has played 12 PSL matches for Quetta Gladiators, scoring 234 runs at a strike rate of 130, including two half-centuries.
Nafay also represented Pakistan Shaheens at the Hong Kong Sixes 2025, where the team won the title by beating Kuwait in the final. He finished as the third-highest run-scorer, scoring 151 runs in five matches at a strike rate of 284.90, including a key fifty.
Get the latest sports news, match updates, and player stories wherever you prefer.
Add ProPakistani to Preferred Sources and see more of our stories in Google Search and Top Stories.