Sarfaraz Ahmed confident ahead of ACC U-19 Asia Cup

KARACHI: Pakistan U-19 team manager and mentor Sarfaraz Ahmed expressed confidence ahead of the eight-team Asian Cricket Council (ACC) Asia Cup, which is slated to commence from 12 December in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Earlier today, the Pakistan U-19 team departed for Dubai to participate in the upcoming tournament.

Speaking to the PCB digital media, Sarfaraz mentioned the young players’ potential, noting that the management have given them full backing for the tournament.

“We have done our best and reminded the players that they are the finest young cricketers in Pakistan. Their strong performances earned them a place in the side, and we have given them complete backing and confidence,” he said.

“We are hopeful they will deliver strong performances for Pakistan. Over the past seven days, the players have worked extremely hard and trained intensively,” he added.

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He emphasized continuity to emerge as the best team in the tournament, stating that the team will gel quickly and do well in the Asian tournament.

“We will have a practice session before the Asia Cup and we hope the team settles in quickly and performs well in the tournament. To be the best team in the competition, you have to perform consistently in all three matches,” Sarfaraz Ahmed concluded.

For the unversed, Pakistan is placed in Group A  in the ACC U-19 Asia Cup. The Green Shirts will play their opening match against Malaysia at the Sevens Stadium in Dubai on Friday, 12 December.

Their second fixture will be against India at the International Cricket Council (ICC) Academy Ground on Sunday, 14 December, while their third fixture will be against the UAE on Tuesday, 16 December, at the same venue.

15-member squad:

Farhan Yousaf (captain), Usman Khan (vice-captain), Abdul Subhan, Ahmed Hussain, Ali Hassan Baloch, Ali Raza, Daniyal Ali Khan, Hamza Zahoor (wk), Huzaifa Ahsan, Momin Qamar, Mohammad Huzaifa, Mohammad Sayyam, Mohammad Shayan (wk), Niqab Shafiq, and Sameer Minhas

Non-traveling reserve players:

Abdul Qadir, Hasnain Dar, Mohammad Hassan Khan, Ibtisam Azhar, and Umar Zaib

Support staff:

Sarfaraz Ahmed (manager/mentor), Shahid Anwar (head coach/batting coach), Rao Iftikhar (bowling coach), Mansoor Amjad (fielding coach.), Abrar Ahmed (trainer), Ubaidullah (physio), Ali Hamza (analyst)

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