ICC U19 World Cup: Pacers Mohammad Hasnain and Shahnawaz Dahani along with leg-spinner Usman Qadir have been named in Pakistan Shaheens' squad for the Asian Games men’s T20 cricket event, set to take place in Hangzhou, China, from September 28 to October 7.
Hasnain, Dahani and Qadir, along with Aamir Jamal, Arshad Iqbal, Asif Ali, Haider Ali and Khushdil Shah, have already represented the Pakistan men’s team at the international level.
The squad will be captained by 20-year-old all-rounder Qasim Akram, who featured in 20 first-class matches and 40 T20 matches. He also captained the Pakistan U19 side in the 2022 ICC U19 World Cup in the West Indies.
The Pakistan men’s team won a bronze medal in their maiden and only appearance in the Asian Games held in Guangzhou, China, in 2010. Since May 2023, Pakistan Shaheens have toured Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka and Australia. In Zimbabwe, Shaheens whitewashed Zimbabwe A in the two four-dayers but lost 4-2 in the 50-over matches to Zimbabwe Select.
They later won the ACC Men’s Emerging Asia Cup in Sri Lanka in July, beating India A by 108 runs in the final. However, they finished as runners-up in the six-team Top End T20 Series in Darwin, Australia earlier this month.
As per the tournament rules, Pakistan Shaheens will feature in the event from the quarterfinal stage scheduled to take place on October 3 and 4. The semifinals will be played on October 6, while the final will take place on October 7, with the bronze medal scheduled for the same day.
Pakistan Shaheens squad: Qasim Akram (captain), Omair Bin Yousuf (vice-captain), Aamir Jamal, Arafat Minhas, Arshad Iqbal, Asif Ali, Haider Ali, Khushdil Shah, Mirza Tahir Baig, Mohammad Hasnain, Muhammad Akhlaq (wk), Rohail Nazir, Shahnawaz Dahani, Sufiyan Muqeem and Usman Qadir
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Non-travelling reserves: Abdul Wahid Bangalzai, Mehran Mumtaz, Mohammad Imran Jnr, Muhammad Irfan Khan Niazi and Mubasir Khan