Sikandar Raza and Rehan Ahmed (photo by AP and Getty Images) NEW DELHI: A couple of weeks ago, the Li-Ning Star cycling team dominated the opening race of the Pune Grand Tour 2026. Interestingly, they had hardly any top Chinese riders in their ranks. It was reminiscent of the French team that won the 2018 World Cup. From Kylian Mbappe to N’Golo Kante and Paul Pogba, France’s triumph was fueled by players with roots in West and Central Africa, the Caribbean and Southern Europe.During the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) sports presenter Paul Kennedy, a former footballer and current journalist, shared a startling statistic: in Australia at under-12 level, almost 40 per cent of children playing cricket are from South Asia.
T20 World Cup: ‘It’s not good for the game’ – Salman Ali Agha on India Asia Cup handshake
Kennedy even insisted that “Indian or South Asian cricketers may actually be the answer to the future of cricket in Australia.”Elite sport has long since overcome rigid definitions of nationality. Athletes often represent multiple countries over the course of their careers, which are shaped both by migration and opportunity and place of birth.This reality will again be visible in the upcoming 2026 T20 World Cup to be played in India and Sri Lanka, where several teams reflect stories that go far beyond their flags.Nowhere is this more evident than with players of South Asian descent. While around 40 cricketers of Indian origin are expected to participate in the tournament, they are closely followed by those of Pakistani origin.In a country rich in talent and with limited space at the top, the journey to international cricket often requires a change of address.The United Arab Emirates have the largest contingent in the squad with 10 players of Pakistani origin.
Players of Pakistani origin in T20 World Cup 2026 (Graphic created by AI)
Among them is pacer Muhammad Jawad Ullah, a 26-year-old native of Malakand whose journey to the World Cup was not straightforward.For Jawad, cricket started as a pastime rather than an ambition.The game was brought up in a family of eight, played with a tennis ball, squeezed in between chores. Coaching was lacking and structure was non-existent.“I only played tennis cricket in Pakistan. There was no coach or experienced player to guide me. Many people told me to join the hard ball cricket academy. I felt there were so many talented players who didn’t even get a chance, so I didn’t know what it was at that time, maybe fear or something else,” he said in an exclusive interaction with TimesofIndia.com last year.The decisive turning point came in 2020. With increasing family responsibilities, Jawad moved to the UAE and settled in Khor Fakkan, a quiet coastal town along the Gulf of Oman.The relocation brought stability but little room for sports. He started work as an electrician, long days starting early and finishing late, the physical toll leaving little energy for cricket.The time he found was borrowed. “I didn’t have much time to play cricket, only about one to two hours. Even then I was playing with a tennis ball because playing with a hard ball requires a lot of time, at least five to six hours.”Jawad’s journey mirrors that of many who left Pakistan for part-time work abroad, kept their passion alive on the sidelines and now find themselves on the World Cup stage.Dutch Saqib Zulfiqar represents the chapter of the second generation. Born in Sialkot in 1966, his father, Zulfiqar Ahmed, played and later coached Dutch cricket, paving the way for all three of his sons to represent the country.
Sikandar Raza of Zimbabwe (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)
Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza’s journey started with a different dream altogether. His move from Sialkot to Zimbabwe was far from straightforward and took him through unexpected detours that included aspiring to become a pilot and a computer science degree at Glasgow University before cricket finally took center stage after his family moved to Zimbabwe.“The World Cup is really crucial in any cricketer’s life. And I always think that for Zimbabwe to gain more respect in world cricket, going to the World Cups plays a huge role. So we have the mindset to go there and try to do really well so that we can come back with our goals set high and our people back home can hold their heads high,” Raza said on the sidelines of the SA20.At 39, Raza has one clear goal: to inspire the next generation of Sikandars around the world. “All I look at is trying to keep doing the things I do to the best of my ability and I hope my performances can inspire other Sikandars in Zimbabwe and around the world,” he said.Then there is American fast bowler Ali Khan, whose performance against Pakistan in the previous T20 World Cup made him the talk of the town overnight.The two sides meet again on February 10.From Shayan Jahangir in the USA to Rehan Ahmed and Adil Rashid in England colours, from Italy and Scotland to Oman and Canada, the tournament reads like a map of modern migration.A game once segregated along racial lines in Africa and divided along social lines in England and Australia has become more inclusive and diverse.30 players of Pakistani origin will participate in this competition T20 World Cup 2026:
- USA: Shayan Jahangir, Ali Khan, Mohammad Mohsin
- Netherlands: Saqib Zulfikar
- Zimbabwe: Sikandar Raza
- Oman: Mohammad Nadeem, Shakeel Ahmad, Hammad Mirza, Wasim Ali, Shah Faisal, Nadeem Khan, Shafiq Jan, Aamir Kaleem
- England: Rehan Ahmed, Adil Rashid
- Italy: Zain Ali, Ali Hasan, Syed Naqvi
- Scotland: Safyan Sharif
- Canada: Saad Bin Zafar
- United Arab Emirates: Muhammad Waseem, Muhammad Arfan, Junaid Siddique, Alishan Sharafu, Haider Ali, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawad Ullah, Muhammad Zohaib, Rohid Khan, Sohaib Khan
