Muhammad Irfan to lead Pakistan Shaheens in Rising Stars Asia Cup

Lahore, Nov 7 Muhammad Irfan Khan will lead Pakistan Shaheens in the eight-team Asian Cricket Council’s Rising Stars Asia Cup, which will take place in Qatar from November 14 to 23.

Pakistan Shaheens are placed in Group ‘B’ alongside Oman, India ‘A’ and UAE, while Afghanistan ‘A’, Bangladesh ‘A’, Hong Kong and Sri Lanka ‘A’ are placed in Group ‘A’.

Pakistan will play their opening match of the T20 tournament against Oman on November 14, before taking on India ‘A’ on November 16. Shaheens’ final group match will be against the UAE on November 18.

The selectors have chosen a largely revamped squad, retaining only three players with prior senior national team experience - Irfan, spinner Sufiyan Muqeem, and pacer Ahmed Daniyal.

The remaining members are emerging talents who have showcased their skills in the Under-19 setup, the Shaheens programme, domestic tournaments, and the Pakistan Super League.

As per the tournament format, the top two teams from each group will qualify for the semi-finals, which will be held on November 21. The final of the tournament will take place on November 23.

All matches will be staged at the West End Park International Cricket Stadium in Doha.

Before the team’s departure on November 12, Pakistan Shaheens will undergo a training camp from November 8 to 11 at the Hanif Muhammad High Performance Centre in Karachi.

Squad: Muhammad Irfan Khan (captain), Ahmed Daniyal, Arafat Minhas, Maaz Sadaqat, Mohammad Faiq, Muhammad Ghazi Ghori, Mohammad Naeem, Mohammad Salman, Mohammad Shahzad, Mubasir Khan, Saad Masood, Shahid Aziz, Sufiyan Moqim, Ubaid Shah and Yasir Khan.

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