ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will begin their journey in the ACC Men’s U19 Asia Cup on Saturday as the eight-team tournament begins on Friday. The Group A matches of the 50-over event will be played at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium (DICS) while the Group B matches will take place at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium (SCS).
Pakistan, who missed out on the final in the last edition of the event, is placed in Group A, alongside India, Japan and UAE. Meanwhile, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka are placed in Group B. The top two sides from each group will play the semi-finals scheduled on 6 December, while the final will take place at the DICS on 8 December. All matches are set to start at 10am PKT, with the toss taking place at 09.30am PKT.
Saad Baig-led Pakistan will face India in their opening match on 30 November at the DICS. They are scheduled to play UAE and Japan on 2 and 4 December, respectively at the same venue. Among the 15-member squad, four players – Mohammad Riazullah, Saad Baig, Shahzaib Khan and Tayyab Arif have featured for Pakistan in the last edition of U19 Asia Cup held at the UAE in December 2023.
Pakistan, before beginning their journey in the tournament, has been in Dubai for three weeks as they featured in the U19 tri-series featuring Afghanistan and UAE. Although they finished runners-up to Afghanistan in the final, the tournament provided valuable experience and warm-up to the team.
During the course of the tournament, Pakistan players tried to make full use of the conditions as opening batters Shahzaib Khan (330 runs, five matches, 1×100,3x50s) and Usman Khan (314 runs, five matches, 1×100, 3x50s) finished among the top three batters in the event. Similarly, in the bowling chart, right-arm fast bowlers Abdul Subhan and Ali Raza bagged nine wickets each as they too ended among the top three bowlers.
Saad Baig talking to PCB Digital on the eve of the tournament, said:
“We have been in Dubai for a few weeks now and had a good outing in the tri-series tournament. Even though we couldn’t win the final, it provided players a great opportunity to acclimatise to the conditions and now we are ready for the Asia Cup.
“The coaching staff has been there to guide us, and the players are fully committed to putting in their best efforts. We all understand the significance of this tournament, and everyone is motivated to give their best when an opportunity arises.
“All the teams in the tournament are strong and we know it will be a tough competition. But with that challenge comes the opportunity for our players to showcase their best. Our focus will be on executing our plans and staying consistent throughout the tournament.”
Pakistan U19 squad for ACC Asia Cup:
Saad Baig (captain, wicket-keeper) (Karachi), Abdul Subhan (Abbottabad), Ahmed Hussain (Peshawar), Ali Raza (Sialkot), Faham-ul-Haq (Lahore), Farhan Yousuf (Lahore), Haroon Arshad (Karachi), Mohammad Ahmed (Lahore), Mohammad Huzaifa (Bahawalpur), Mohammad Riazullah (Abbottabad), Naveed Ahmed Khan (Karachi), Shahzaib Khan (Abbottabad), Tayyab Arif (Sialkot), Umar Zaib (Abbottabad) and Usman Khan (FATA)
