Pakistan U19s take on SL in first match today

KARACHI: Pakistan Under-19s play their first 50-overs match of the Sri Lanka tour in Hambantota on Sunday (today).

On Friday in Colombo, the two captains, Sri Lanka’s Nipun Dananjaya and Rohail Nazir of Pakistan, attended the trophy unveiling ceremony with Rohail hoping to play a competitive series. Rohail said he was contented with the team’s preparation and believed the side was capable of winning the series.

“The series against Sri Lanka is going to be exciting. It will help us prepare for next year’s ICC Under-19 World Cup in South Africa,” he said. “Our coaches have prepared us keeping in mind the spinning tracks in Sri Lanka, so I feel that the conditions won’t be a problem for us,” Rohail said.

“We have a great bunch of players in this team that is capable of winning matches. They are a tough opponent to beat, especially at home, but we are ready for the challenge,” he added.

Wicket-keeper batsman Rohail was one of the star performers in the Inter-Region U19 One-day tournament held in August last year. He scored 238 runs in seven matches.

Saim Ayub, a left handed top-order batsman from Karachi, is another performer from the Inter-Region U19 tournament. He scored 325 runs in seven matches at an average of 65, hitting two centuries and a half-century.

Squads (to be selected from):

Pakistan: Rohail Nazir (captain, wicket-keeper) (Islamabad); Mohammad Taha (vice-captain) (Karachi); Abbas Afridi (FATA); Akhtar Shah (Quetta); Basit Ali (Multan); Haider Ali (Rawalpindi); Khayyam Khan (wicket-keeper) (Abbottabad); Mohammad Haris (Peshawar); Mohammad Junaid (Quetta); Mohammad Wasim (FATA); Niaz Khan (Peshawar); Saim Ayub (Karachi); Shiraz Khan (Rawalpindi); Suleman Shafqat (Faisalabad) and Qasim Akram (Lahore).

Sri Lanka: Nipun Dananjaya (captain), Kamil Mishara (vice captain), Ashen Daniel, Avishka Tharindu, Chamidu Wijesinghe, Dilshan Madushanka, Dilum S Tillakaratne, Mohomed Shamaz, Naveen Fernando, Navod Paranavitana, Pawan Ratnayake, Raveen De Silva, Ravindu Rashantha, Rohan Sanjaya, Sandun Mendis and Sonal Dinusha.