16-year-old Naseem Shah, who recently made his test debut against Australia in Brisbane, will appear in Pakistan’s 15-man squad for the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2020, starting in Kimberley on 17 January.
The team is led by wicketkeeper-batsman Rohail Nazir, who was also featured in the previous edition of the tournament in 2018. Nazir has been a constant performer in recent seasons and led the run-scoring charts of the ACC Emerging Team Asia Cup 2019 with 302 runs from five innings he helped his team to the title win.
Apart from Naseem, the squad also has Amir Khan and Tahir Hussain as the other two specialists. Abdul Wahid Bangalzai, Haider Ali and Mohammad Shehzad form the top of the team, with Ali being named vice-captain.
Pakistan squad for ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2020 namedhttps://t.co/LACNkZTw7j pic.twitter.com/xkvx1CFDyf
— PCB Media (@TheRealPCBMedia) December 6, 2019
The medal commends Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Huraira, and Mohammad Irfan Khan. Huraira was the top scorer of the one-day PCB U19 tournament with 342 runs, while Haris and Irfan were among the races in the ACC U19 Asia Cup in September this year. Amir Ali and Arish Ali Khan will team up with all-rounders Fahad Munir and Qasim Akram to lead the spinning division, while Abbas Afridi will be the all-rounder for single-line bowling.
“I want to congratulate all players on their selection in the Pakistan squad for the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2020,” said Saleem Jaffar, chairman of the Junior Selection Commission. “I know that some players will be disappointed if they are not selected, but it was a difficult task as we had a selection of very exciting and exceptionally talented players.
“I would like to encourage all players who have missed the selection to remain positive and motivated as I am confident that they will have opportunities in the future.”
Pakistan is competing alongside Scotland, Bangladesh, and Zimbabwe in Group C. Their campaign against Scotland begins in Potchefstroom on 19 January.
They already triumphed twice in 2004 and 2006 and took second place three times. In the previous edition in 2018, they went in the semifinals to the eventual champions India.
Pakistan U19 Squad For ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2020
Rohail Nazir (c), Abdul Wahid Bangalzai, Haider Ali, Mohammad Shehzad, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Huraira, Mohammad Irfan Khan, Abbas Afridi, Fahad Munir, Qasim Akram, Amir Ali, Arish Ali Khan, Amir Khan, Naseem Shah, Tahir Hussain
