Pakistan to open campaign against Afghanistan in ACC U-19 Asia Cricket Cup 2019 today

The ACC Under-19 Asia Cup is a cricket tournament organised by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) for Under-19 teams from its member nations. National Under-19 Cricket Teams from Afghanistan, UAE, Nepal, Pakistan and Kuwait are to be featured to take home the glittering trophy of this mega international event.

This year, Pakistan have been placed in Group A along with India, Afghanistan and Kuwait where the Rohail Nazir-led Pakistan U-19 team would begin their tournament campaign today with a match against Afghanistan. In the last couple of years, the Afghan team has thoroughly dominated the Pakistan team in Youth ODIs. Since the start of 2017, the two sides met on the three instances and the Afghanistan team won in all three. 

Pakistan will enter the tournament at the back of a remarkable run – 10 wins in last 12 matches – after defeating Sri Lanka (3-2) and South Africa (7-0) in their backyards. They will take on arch-rivals India on 7th September, and then the colts in green play their last group match against Kuwait on 9th September. 

Fifteen players selected for the event are namely stated below:

Rohail Nazir (Islamabad, Captain, Wicket-Keeper), Haider Ali (Rawalpindi, Vice-Captain), Aamir Ali (Larkana), Abu Huraira (Dera Murad Jamali), Abdul Wahid Bangalzai, Akhtar Shah (Quetta), Fahad Munir, Naseem Shah, Qasim Akram (Lahore), Mohammad Aamir, Mohammad Haris (Peshawar), Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Wasim Jr (Fata), Mohammad Basit Ali (Multan), Mohammad Irfan Khan (Faisalabad)

Reserve players: Jahanzaib Sultan, Saim Ayub (both Karachi), Syed Raza Ul Hasan (Hyderabad), Shiraz Khan (Rawalpindi) and Zaman Khan (Azad Kashmir).