Haris to lead Shaheens in ACC Emerging Asia Cup

LAHORE: Wicket-keeper-batter Mohammad Haris will take the helm as captain of Pakistan Shaheens in the ACC Men’s Emerging Asia Cup.

The tournament is being held in Sri Lanka from July 14 to 23, featuring eight formidable teams vying for glory.

Haris, an exciting talent, has five ODIs and nine T20Is under his belt and will have the honour of captaining Shaheens for the first time.

As the defending champions, Shaheens are ready to showcase their prowess on the field once again. The team, which includes a talented roster of emerging players, will assemble at the National Cricket Academy here. Following the Eid-ul-Azha holidays, they will embark on a week-long training camp before heading to Colombo on July 12.

The group stage draw places Shaheens alongside India ‘A’, Nepal, and Sri Lanka ‘A’ in Group ‘A’ while Group ‘B’ comprises Afghanistan ‘A’, Bangladesh ‘A’, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates.

The top two teams from each group will advance to the semi-finals, leading up to the thrilling final encounter.

Shaheens will commence their campaign against Nepal on July 14, followed by challenging matches against India ‘A’ on July 16 and Sri Lanka ‘A’ on July 18.

The Shaheens squad also boasts several other international players who have represented Pakis­tan across different formats. Arshad Iqbal (1 T20I), Kamran Ghulam (1 ODI), Mohammad Wasim Junior (2 Tests, 14 ODIs, 27 T20Is), Sahibzada Farhan (3 T20Is), Saim Ayub (8 T20Is), Shahnawaz Dahani (2 ODIs, 11 T20Is) and Tayyab Tahir (3 T20Is) will bring their expertise to the team’s pursuit of glory.

Squad: Mohammad Haris (captain, wicketkeeper) (Peshawar), Omair Bin Yousuf (vice-captain) (Karachi), Amad Butt (Sialkot), Arshad Iqbal (Swabi), Haseebullah (Quetta), Kamran Ghulam (Peshawar), Mehran Mumtaz (Rawalpindi), Mubasir Khan (Islamabad), Mohammad Wasim Jnr (North Waziristan), Qasim Akram (Lahore), Sahibzada Farhan (Charsadda), Saim Ayub (Karachi), Shahnawaz Dahani (Larkana), Sufiyan Muqeem (AJK) and Tayyab Tahir (Gujrat); Non-traveling reserves: Abdul Wahid Bangalzai, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Junaid and Rohail Nazir.

Published in Dawn, June 24th, 2023