KARACHI: Pakistan spinner Usman Tariq has broken his silence after being overlooked for the national team’s upcoming home white-ball assignments, sharing a cryptic message on social media.
Tariq, who has represented Pakistan in nine T20Is and taken 18 wickets, took to Instagram and posted a story shortly after the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced the white-ball squads for the upcoming T20I series against Sri Lanka and the ODI tri-series involving England and Sri Lanka.
“The hardest part of wisdom is learning to stay silent when Ego wants to speak,” Tariq wrote.
The right-arm spinner made an immediate impact during Pakistan’s campaign at the 2026 T20 World Cup, co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, producing impressive spells throughout the tournament.
He finished as Pakistan’s leading wicket-taker in his debut international tournament and ranked 13th overall among the competition’s leading wicket-takers, claiming 10 wickets in six matches at an average of 14.10 and an economy rate of 7.23.
Tariq, however, was not included in either of Pakistan’s squads for the upcoming home assignments.
Meanwhile, regular white-ball wicketkeepers Mohammad Rizwan and Usman Khan have also been left out. Khawaja Nafay has been included in the T20I squad, while Ghazi Ghori and Saad Baig have been selected for the ODI side.
One of the most notable changes is Salman Ali Agha’s removal as Pakistan’s T20I captain and his exclusion from the squad. Sahibzada Farhan has been appointed as his successor after leading Pakistan to a silver medal at the 2026 Asian Games, where they lost to India in the final.
Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Nawaz and Usman Tariq, along with pacers Ali Raza, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Akif Javed and Ahmed Daniyal, were also part of Pakistan’s Asian Games campaign but have been omitted from the squads for the upcoming home assignments.
The three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka will be played at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, with the opening match scheduled for 9 October. The second and third T20Is will be held on 11 and 13 October, respectively.
Following the T20I series, Pakistan will feature in a seven-match ODI tri-series involving England and Sri Lanka. The first three matches will be played in Rawalpindi before the action moves to Lahore for the remaining league fixtures and the final.
