Saad Baig will lead the 15-player Pakistan U19 squad in the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup, which will be played from 19 January to 11 February, 2024 in South Africa.
Among the squad are Ali Asfand and Mohammad Zeeshan, both of whom had represented Pakistan in the previous edition of the U19 World Cup held in the West Indies in January-February 2022.
🚨 Pakistan U19 squad announced for ICC U19 World Cup 2024 🇵🇰
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11 players, who were part of the Pakistan squad for the ACC Men’s U19 Asia Cup 2023, managed to retain their spots in the team for the upcoming U19 World Cup.
The eight-team tournament saw Pakistan emerging as a standout force in Group A. The young talents from Pakistan proved their mettle by remaining undefeated in the group-stage matches.
Pakistan started their U19 Asia Cup campaign with a comfortable seven-wicket victory over Nepal before outclassing bitter rivals India by eight wickets, courtesy of Azan Awais’s century, who scored 105 runs off 130 balls.
Pakistan then concluded their group-stage campaign with a dominant 83-run victory over Afghanistan.
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The Green Shirts then took on the hosts United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the semi-final of the tournament and succumbed to a shock loss which marked the end of their brilliant campaign.
Chairman Junior Selection Committee Sohail Tanvir said: “I want to congratulate the 15 players who have made it into the squad for South Africa and I am confident that this well-balanced side has the capability and potential to perform well in the World Cup.
“While picking the team, we have considered the conditions in South Africa where the pitches are conducive to pace bowling and have aimed to cover all bases.”
Pakistan U19 squad – Saad Baig (captain and wicketkeeper), Ali Asfand (vice-captain), Ali Raza, Ahmad Hassan, Amir Hassan, Arfat Minhas, Azan Awais, Haroon Arshad, Khubaib Khalil, Mohammad Zeeshan, Naveed Ahmed Khan, Shahzaib Khan, Shamyl Hussain, Muhammad Riazullah and Ubaid Shah.