Daily Times

LAHORE: Saad Baig will continue to lead Pakistan U19 against Sri Lanka U19 in the home series, set to be played in Karachi. The two sides will compete in a solitary four-day match, followed by a series of five 50-over matches.

The recently appointed seven-member junior selection committee, headed by Inzamam-ul-Haq, has selected the 16-member Pakistan U19 squad for the four-day match. The match is scheduled to take place from 15 to 18 October. The squad for the one-day series will be announced later next week. The one-day series will be held at the same venue – National Bank Stadium, Karachi – from 22 to 31 October. Saad Baig, who captained Pakistan U19 on the tour to Bangladesh earlier this year, will have the services of eight players who were part of the playing XI in the only four-day match on the tour. The list includes Ali Asfand, Amir Hassan, Arafat Minhas, Azan Awais, Mohammad Ibtisam, Mohammad Ismail, Shahzaib Khan and Wahaj Riaz.

Six of the remaining seven players part of the 16-member squad have notably excelled in the ongoing National U19 Championship 2023-24. These are Ahmed Hussain (Peshawar U19, three matches, 19 wickets), Hamza Nawaz (Bahawalpur U19, three matches, 280 runs, 1×100, 2x50s), Huzaifa Ayub (Bahawalpur U19, three matches, 15 wickets, one five-fer), Mohammad Zubair (Peshawar U19, three matches, 236 runs, 1×100, 1×50), Naveed Ahmed Khan (Karachi Whites U19, three matches, 20 wickets, one five-fer) and Shahmeer Ali (Rawalpindi U19, three matches, 244 runs, 1×100, 1×50) have performed well in the ongoing National U19 Championship 2023-24. Meanwhile, the seventh player Aimal Khan is currently representing FATA Region in Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2023-24, where the right-arm fast bowler has taken six wickets in two outings.

Pakistan’s squad will assemble in the team hotel on Tuesday night and will train at the National Bank Stadium in Karachi on the following two days. The team management and training schedule will be announced in due course.

Pakistan U19 squad – Saad Baig (captain and wicket-keeper), Ahmed Hussain, Aimal Khan, Ali Asfand, Amir Hassan, Arafat Minhas, Azan Awais, Hamza Nawaz, Huzaifa Ayub, Mohammad Ibtisam, Mohammad Ismail, Mohammad Zubair, Naveed Ahmed Khan, Shahmeer Ali, Shahzaib Khan and Wahaj Riaz.