LAHORE: Right-handed batter Mohammad Haris will lead Pakistan Shaheens in the Asian Cricket Council Men’s T20 Emerging Teams Cup, where the national team is expected to face arch-rivals India.
Before leaving for the tournament, which is scheduled to begin in Oman on October 18, the Shaheens will attend a camp at the Hanif Mohammad High-Performance Center in Karachi from October 11 to 15.
The Haris-led team will face last year’s runners-up India A in their opening match on October 19.
The team, scheduled to depart for Oman on October 16, also includes Abdul Samad, Ahmed Daniyal, Yasir Khan and Zaman Khan who will represent the Pakistan Shaheens for the first time, the Pakistan Cricket Board said in a statement on Monday.
Meanwhile, Samad played for UMT Markhors in the recently concluded Champions One-Day Cup 2024-25 and scored with a strike rate of 122.88, while Daniyal, playing for Nurpur Lions, won 10 wickets and Yasir and Zaman bowled for Allied Bank Stallions in fours and twos. matches, respectively.
Eight teams will participate in the event with four teams divided into two groups. All matches will take place at the Oman Cricket Academy Ground in Muscat. Group A includes Afghanistan A, Bangladesh A’, Hong Kong and Sri Lanka A, while defending champions Pakistan Shaheens feature in Group B alongside India A, Oman and Arab Emirates United (UAE).
The Shaheens’ second outing in the tournament will be against host nation Oman on October 21, followed by their final group match against the United Arab Emirates on October 23.
The top two teams from each group will qualify for the semi-finals scheduled for October 25. The final will take place on Sunday October 27.
The Shaheens team
Mohammad Haris (captain), Abdul Samad, Ahmed Daniyal, Arafat Minhas, Haider Ali, Haseebullah, Mehran Mumtaz, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohmmad Imran Jnr, Omair Bin Yousuf, Qasim Akram, Shahnawaz Dahani, Sufiyan Moqim, Yasir Khan and Zaman Khan
Team management
Umar Rasheed (head coach-manager), Imran Farhat (batting coach), Riffatullah Mohmand (fielding coach), Usman Hashmi (analyst) and Syed Mohammad Asad (physiotherapist)