LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Friday confirmed the squad for the 50-over tri-series and ACC Under-19 Asia Cup 2024-25 set to take place in UAE from November 13 to December 8.
Saad Baig, who led the Pakistan Under-19 team in the last edition of the ACC U-19 Asia Cup and ICC U19 World Cup 2024, has been appointed the captain of the 15-player squad which will be trimmed to 14 for the Asia Cup beginning November 29.
Six players including Saad, Ali Raza, Haroon Arshad, Mohammad Riazullah, Naveed Ahmed Khan, and Shahzaib Khan represented Pakistan at the ICC U19 World Cup 2024 in South Africa while Tayyab Arif is the other player to have played for the Pakistan U19.
The men’s National Selection Committee held trials and selection matches to assemble the 15-member squad out of a 120-player contingent recommended by the 16 regions based on the performances in Inter-District U-19 tournament and the month-long Regional U-19 Academies held in August this year.
Saad Baig-led team will depart for UAE on 9th November from Lahore to feature in 50-over tri-series, where they will take on hosts UAE in the opening match on 13th November. The tournament will be played on a double league format with the final between top two sides slated on 26th November.
In the 50-over U-19 Asia Cup, Pakistan U-19 are placed in the Group-A and will take on India on 30th November in their first match of the tournament before taking on UAE and Japan on December 2 and 4, respectively at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium (DICS). The top two teams from Group-A and B will take on each other in the semi-finals on December 6 with the final taking place on December 8.
Pakistan squad: Saad Baig (captain, wicket-keeper) (Karachi), Abdul Subhan (Abbottabad), Ali Raza (Sialkot), Faham-ul-Haq (Lahore), Farhan Yousuf (Lahore), Haroon Arshad (Karachi), Hassan Khan (Rawalpindi), Mohammad Ahmed (Lahore), Mohammad Huzaifa (Bahawalpur), Mohammad Riazullah (Abbottabad), Naveed Ahmed Khan (Karachi), Shahzaib Khan (Abbottabad), Tayyab Arif (Sialkot), Umar Zaib (Abbottabad) and Usman Khan (FATA).
Non-travelling reserves: Ahmed Hussain (Peshawar), Mohammad Huzaifa (Bahawalpur), Rizwanullah (Karachi) and Yahya bin Abdul Rehman (Lahore).
Player support staff: Ghulam Ali (head coach-cum-manager), Agha Sabir Ali (assistant/fielding coach), Muhammad Aleem Bajwa (physio), Muhammad Talha (analyst), Rehan Riaz (bowling coach), Saboor Ahmed (strength & conditioning coach) and Syed Nazir Ahmed (media and digital manager).
Pakistan U-19’s fixture:
(tri-series Schedule Pak, UAE, Afghanistan);
November 13, Pakistan vs UAE
November 15, Pakistan vs Afghanistan
November 20, Pakistan vs Afghanistan
November 22, Pakistan vs UAE
Final 26th November.
(ACC U19 Asia Cup)
30th November – Pakistan vs India
2nd December – Pakistan vs UAE
4th December -Pakistan vs Japan
6th December – Semi final 1 (A1 vs B2 - Dubai) & Semi final 2 (B1 vs A2 – Sharjah)
8th December – Final
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