The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has confirmed the 14-member Pakistan Shaheens squad for the three 50-over matches series against Bangladesh ‘A’ at the Islamabad Club, starting on 26 August.
The second and third 50-over matches will take place on 28 and 30 August, respectively. Wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Haris will lead the side as the selectors have retained 12 players from the Shaheens’ side that recently featured in the two 50-over and Top End T20 series in Darwin, Australia.
The retentions are part of the selectors’ philosophy of providing emerging and domestic performers consistent opportunities to prove their mettle and stake a claim on the senior side.
Apart from skipper Haris, the 12 players who have been retained from the side that toured Darwin, include: Abdul Faseeh, Arafat Minhas, Faisal Akram, Haseebullah, Jahandad Khan, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Mohammad Imran Jnr, Mubasir Khan, Omair Bin Yousuf, and Usman Khan.
The other two players are left-arm spinner Mehran Mumtaz, who featured in the second four-day match against Bangladesh ‘A’, and left-hand batter Azan Awais, who represented the Pakistan U19 team at the ICC Men’s U19 World Cup 2024.
On their recent tour to Darwin, the Pakistan Shaheens white-ball squad led by Mohammad Haris won seven out of nine white-ball games. They beat Northern Territory Strike and Bangladesh ‘A’ in the 50-over matches by four and eight wickets, respectively.
Meanwhile, in the nine-team Top End T20 series, the Shaheens topped the table with five wins in six games before falling short in the semi-final. Jahandad Khan was the pick of the bowlers for Shaheens as he bagged 15 scalps during the white-ball leg while Usman Khan scored 222 runs. Muhammad Irfan Khan smashed a century in the Top End T20 series.
All the three 50-over matches between Pakistan Shaheens and Bangladesh ‘A’ will be day games starting at 9.30 am with the toss expected to take place at 9 am.
