Naseem Shah Named In Pakistan's Squad For ICC U19 World Cup 2020

Naseem Shah, who recently made headlines for his express pace at such a young age, once again caught the attention of the fans after being named in the Pakistan squad for the ICC U19 World Cup 2020. He got selected in the 15-member squad, which will be led by Rohail Nazir. They are placed in Group C of the 16-team event and will play Scotland in their opening match on 19 January in Potchefstroom.

The 2004 and 2006 champions and three-time runners-up have a great balance in their squad and will hope to end their barren run. All the players have enough experience under their belt to make it big during the upcoming event. Abdul Wahid Bangalzai (Quetta), Haider Ali (Rawalpindi), Mohammad Shehzad (Multan) were named as the openers of the team.

Naseem Shah to lead the pace unit:

The middle-order burden is given to Mohammad Haris (Peshawar), Mohammad Huraira (Sialkot) and Mohammad Irfan Khan (Lahore) while skipper Rohail Nazir will don the wicket-keeping gloves. Besides that, he will bat at number 3 to make things fall in place for the team.

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The best part of the team is the all-rounder section. They got the likes of Abbas Afridi (Peshawar), Fahad Munir (Lahore) and Qasim Akram (Faisalabad), who have already proved their mettle in U19 competitions. Amir Ali (Larkana) and Arish Ali Khan of Karachi are the two spinners in the squad.

Naseem Shah will lead the fast-bowling department while Amir Khan and Tahir Hussain will finish the pace section. Shah, who was questionned over age-fudging will hope to deliver the goods and answer all his critics. He remained mainly unsuccessful in terms of wickets during the Test series against Australia and will look to bounce back in the premier event. Ijaz Ahmed will serve as the head coach of the team alongside being the team manager.

”I want to congratulate all the players on their selection in the Pakistan squad for the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2020. I know some of the players will be disappointed at not being picked, but it was a tough task as we had a pool of some very exciting and exceptionally talented players to choose from. I would encourage all the players who have missed out on selection to remain positive and motivated as I am confident there will be opportunities for them down the road.”

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“Criteria for selection was current performances and meritocracy, and I am pleased it was a consensus decision. These players have been performing up to our expectations, and I am hopeful they will carry their good form into the series and produce solid performances,” Saleem Jaffar, chair of the junior selection committee said.

Read More – India U19 Squad for World Cup

Pakistan U19 Squad for ICC U19 World Cup 2019:

Abdul Wahid Bangalzai, Haider Ali, Mohammad Shehzad, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Huraira, Mohammad Irfan Khan, Rohail Nazir (captain), Abbas Afridi, Fahad Munir, Qasim Akram, Amir Ali, Arish Ali Khan, Amir Khan, Naseem Shah and Tahir Hussain