Pakistan Shaheens for Sri Lanka tour named

LAHORE, Oct 02 (DNA): Left-handed top-order batter Saud Shakeel will
captain future Pakistan hopefuls on the tour of Sri Lanka, which will
comprise two four-day fixtures and three 50-over matches in Kandy and
Colombo from 28 October to 14 November.

Saud played in three One-Day Internationals against England earlier this
summer, while other internationals named in the 19-player squad include
Abdullah Shafique (T20I), Arshad Iqbal (T20I), Haider Ali (ODI, T20I),
Naseem Shah (Test), Usman Salahuddin (Test and ODI) and Zahid Mahmood
(T20I).

To maintain consistency in selection, the selectors have also retained
players who have recently been part of the national side but have been
unable to break into the playing line-up. These include Kamran Ghulam,
Salman Ali Agha and Mohammad Haris.

With an eye on next year’s ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2022 in the West
Indies, the selectors have included in the squad Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s
teenage wicketkeeper Salman Khan and top-order batter Qasim Akram of
Central Punjab.

Opportunities have also been awarded to exciting talents, such as
Sindh’s 22-year-old mystery spinner Abrar Ahmed, Ahmed Safi Abdullah (34
wickets and 245 runs in Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2020-21), Irfanullah Shah
(23 wickets in Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2020-21) and left-arm fast bowler
Akif Javed, who is returning to competitive cricket this season after
missing the last season due to an injury.

Chief selector Muhammad Wasim: “The objective and purpose of such tours
is to reward, encourage, motivate and prepare high-performing cricketers
for future challenges, while also developing and strengthening our
bench-strength.

“The average age of this squad is under 22 and includes players who have
either been part of the national squads or are knocking at the doors of
international cricket. The Sri Lanka tour will help these talented
cricketers to further hone and polish their skills so that they are
ready to perform at the international level.”=DNA

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