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Thursday March 28, 2024

Pakistan begin U19 World Cup campaign today

By Our Correspondent
January 17, 2022
Pakistan begin U19 World Cup campaign today

ISLAMABAD: Former champions Pakistan will take on Zimbabwe in their opening World Cup Under-19 Group C match on Monday at Diego Martin Complex, Trinidad.

Pakistan won the last four of the five matches played between the two junior sides with Zimbabwe emerging victorious on one occasion, thirteen years back.

In Junior World Cup 2020 Pakistan defeated Zimbabwe by 38 runs.

Pakistan earlier were scheduled to play their opening match against Papua New Guyenne on January 15 but the late arrival of the Afghanistan team altered the schedule.

Pakistan will meet Afghanistan in the second Pool match on Thursday at the Brian Lara Cricket Ground, while their last Group C fixtures will be against Papua New Guinea (PNG) on Saturday at the Queens Park Oval.

If Pakistan top Group C, their Super League quarter-final will be on Friday, 28 January, at the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground against the side that finish second in Group D, which comprises West Indies, Australia, Sri Lanka, and Scotland.

If Pakistan finish second, their Super League quarter-final will be on Thursday, January 27, at the Coolidge Cricket Ground against the side that top Group C, which comprises West Indies, Australia, Sri Lanka, and Scotland.

Pakistan is the third most successful side after India and Australia in the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup, which was launched in 1988 before becoming a biennial event in 1998. Pakistan won titles in 2004 and 2006, finished runners-up in 1988, 2010 and 2014, and achieved third position in 2000, 2008, 2018 and 2020.

Pakistan have also produced cricketers from this competition who have gone on to make a mark on world cricket.

The 1988 competition in Australia saw the emergence of Aqib Javed, Basit Ali, Inzamam-ul-Haq and Mushatq Ahmed.

The last event in South Africa resulted in the graduation of Haider Ali and Mohammad Wasim Junior to international cricket. Both the players were part of Pakistan’s squad for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021, with Wasim later winning the PCB Emerging Cricketer of 2021 award.

Some of the other prominent Pakistan internationals to progress from the U19 World Cup in the period between 1998 and 2018 are Abdul Razzaq, Shoaib Malik (both 1998), Faisal Iqbal, Imran Nazir, Mohammad Sami, Taufeeq Umar, Yasir Arafat (all 2000), Azhar Ali, Umar Gul (all 2002), Abid Ali, Fawad Alam, Wahab Riaz (all 2004), Sarfaraz Ahmed, Imad Wasim (both 2006), Shan Masood, Ahmed Shehzad, Umar Akmal (all 2008), Babar Azam (2010), Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Nawaz (both 2012), Shadab Khan (2016) and, Mohammad Musa and Shaheen Shah Afridi (2018).

Qasim Akram, who featured in the 2020 tournament along with Haider Ali and Mohammad Wasim Junior, will be making his second appearance when he captains Pakistan’s future stars in the 2022 edition.

“We take a lot of motivation from our men’s squad. They had a great 2021, which has created a feel good factor, which we can capitalise on by winning the tournament and ending the 16-year title drought.

“I have no doubts we are one of the favourites and have players who can help us win the first trophy of this decade. All we need to do is to play our natural game, don’t be overawed by the occasion and continue to focus and believe in our abilities,” Qasim said.

Squad: Qasim Akram (captain, Central Punjab), Abdul Faseeh (Northern), Abbas Ali (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Ahmed Khan (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Ali Asfand (Central Punjab), Arham Nawab (Central Punjab), Awais Ali (Central Punjab), Faisal Akram (Southern Punjab), Haseebullah (wicketkeeper, Balochistan), Irfan Khan Niazi (Central Punjab), Maaz Sadaqat (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Mehran Mumtaz (Northern), Mohammad Shehzad (Southern Punjab), Rizwan Mehmood (Sindh) and Zeeshan Zameer (Sindh)

Traveling reserves: Ghazi Ghori (wicketkeeper, Sindh), Mohammad Zeeshan (Central Punjab).

Pakistan fixtures:

17 Jan - v Zimbabwe - Diego Martin Sporting Complex.

20 Jan - v Afghanistan - Brian Lara Cricket Ground.

22 Jan - v PNG - Queens Park Oval.