Pakistan Shaheens’ captain Mohammad Haris has revealed that the players are not allowed to discuss the match against India in the dressing room during the upcoming ACC Men’s T20 Emerging Teams Asia Cup, commencing in Oman on 18 October.
Haris-led Shaheens will take on last year’s finalists India ‘A’ in their opening match on 19 October.
The Pakistan captain shared that he is keen on ensuring that his players do not succumb to pressure ahead of the match against India.
As a result, he has instructed the players not to engage in discussions regarding the blockbuster match.
“Talking about India is banned in the dressing room,” said Haris. “Players feel pressure when thinking about the match against India and we don’t want to put them under pressure.”
Haris also shared that the team is not only focusing on India but other opponents as well and is preparing for each team according to their strengths and weaknesses.
“The preparations for the tournament are in full swing,” he added. “Our focus is not only on India, we have matches against other teams too and we will have different plans for each team.”
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Mohammad Haris then went on to claim that the experience of leading Stallions in the Champions One-Day Cup will come in handy in the upcoming ACC Men’s T20 Emerging Teams Asia Cup 2024.
“PCB has appointed me as captain for different teams. Captaining the emerging team is a different experience. I have previously captained senior players in the Champions One-Day Cup,” said Haris.
Pakistan Shaheens’ second outing in the tournament will be against hosts Oman on 21 October, followed by their final group match will be against the UAE on 23 October.
The top two sides from each group will qualify for the semi-finals scheduled to take place on 25 October. The final will take place on Sunday, 27 October.
Pakistan Shaheens’ Squad
Mohammad Haris (c), Abdul Samad, Ahmed Daniyal, Arafat Minhas, Haider Ali, Haseebullah, Mehran Mumtaz, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Imran Jnr, Omair Bin Yousuf, Qasim Akram, Shahnawaz Dahani, Sufiyan Moqim, Yasir Khan and Zaman Khan
Team management: Umar Rasheed (head coach-cum-manager), Imran Farhat (batting coach), Riffatullah Mohmand (fielding coach), Usman Hashmi (analyst) and Syed Mohammad Asad (physiotherapist)
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