Pakistan name 15-member squad for U-19 Asia Cup defence

Pakistan will defend their Under-19 Asia Cup title in Oman next month with a 15-member squad captained by Farhan Yousuf, the Pakistan Cricket Board announced on Tuesday.

The tournament is scheduled to run from November 5 to 14. Pakistan, the defending champions, have been placed in Group A alongside India, Nepal and the hosts, the United Arab Emirates, in the eight-team event. The squad is due to depart for Oman from Karachi on October 29.

Dawn reported that the board announced the squad in a statement. The PCB's own announcement confirmed the squad and the title defence.

According to Dawn, the party includes the wicketkeeper-batters Abdul Qadir and Hamza Zahoor, and the batters Usman Khan, Hayam Khan, Jahangir Bilal and Huzaifa Ahsan. Ahmed Hussain and Hasnain were named among the all-rounders.

The reports available to this desk did not carry the complete 15-man list, so the selectors' options in the pace and spin departments could not be confirmed. Nor was the composition of Group B given.

The draw places Pakistan and India in the same four-team pool, with Nepal and the UAE completing the group. Dates for Pakistan's individual group matches were not included in the reports available. The PCB described the competition as the ACC Men's Under-19 Asia Cup.

Pakistan enter the tournament as holders. No details of the previous edition's final, or of the players retained from that winning side, were carried in the reports available.

Squad announcements at age-group level are made by the national selection committee, and the tournament is the region's principal multi-nation competition for under-19 sides. Pakistan's title defence begins after the squad lands in Oman at the end of October, with the group stage running through the first two weeks of November.