Squads, schedule announced for BD U16s tour of Pakistan

KARACHI: Pakistan will host Bangladesh Under-16s for two three-day and three one-day matches from October 25 to November 8.

The touring side will arrive in Rawalpindi on October 22 for what is the reciprocal tour after Pakistan Under-16s toured Bangladesh earlier this year in April-May. The five matches will be played at Rawalpindi’s Khan Research Laboratories Ground (KRLG).

During this time, Bangladesh women’s team will be in Lahore for three T20Is and two ODIs against Pakistan women’s team. After the success of Sri Lanka’s tour of Karachi and Lahore, this series is expected to further underscore Pakistan’s ability to host international teams and establish the country as a safe tourist destination.

“I want to thank the Bangladesh Cricket Board for sending their U16 side to Pakistan. Competitive age-group cricket serves as a great opportunity for emerging players to enhance their skills and at the same time helps the selectors to identify the upcoming talent,” PCB Director, International Cricket Operations, Zakir Khan said.

“I am sure this series will not only help both the boards identify the future stars of their respective countries but it will also establish confidence in Pakistan’s ability to host more top-flight cricket in the country.”

The junior selection committee, headed by Saleem Jaffar, also announced the squads for the matches. The teams were selected after practice matches from the ongoing camp at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore, which ran from October 12 to 21.

Squads: Three-day: Aaliyan Mehmood (captain) (Karachi), Mohammad Waqas (vice-captain) (Faisalabad), Abbas Ali (Peshawar), Afzal Manzoor (wicketkeeper) (Sialkot), Ahmad Khan (Abbottabad), Ali Asfand (Faisalabad), Ali Hasan (Sialkot), Aseer Mughal (Rawalpindi), Ayaz Shah (FATA), Farhad Khan (FATA), Haseeb Imran (Rawalpindi), Ibrar Afzal (Lahore), Khalid Khan (Quetta), Mohammad Shehzad (Multan), Mohammad Sikandar (Hyderabad) and Rizwan Mehmood (Hyderabad).

One-day: Aaliyan Mehmood (captain) (Karachi), Mohammad Waqas (vice-captain) (Faisalabad), Abbas Ali (Peshawar), Ahmad Khan (Abbottabad), Ali Asfand (Faisalabad), Ali Hasan (Sialkot), Aseer Mughal (Rawalpindi), Hussain (Rawalpindi), Ibtasham Rehman (Faisalabad) (subject to fitness), Ismail Khan (FATA), Khalid Khan (Quetta), Mohammad Shehzad (Multan), Muneeb Wasif (Lahore), Rizwan Mehmood (Hyderabad), Zain Anwar (Karachi) and Zubair Shinwari (wicketkeeper) (FATA).

Team management: Ijaz Ahmad (coach-cum-manager), Abdul Majeed (assistant coach), Saboor Ahmad (trainer), Hafiz Naeem ul Rasool (physiotherapist) and Usman Hashmi (analyst).