LAHORE: July 10, 2023: Mohammad Haris-led Pakistan Shaheens will depart in the wee hours of Tuesday from Lahore for Sri Lanka via Dubai to feature in the eight-team ACC Men’s Emerging Teams Asia Cup. The 50-over tournament will be played from 13 to 23 July in Colombo.
Shaheens are slotted in Group B with India A, Nepal and UAE A. Shaheens will open their campaign on 14 July with the match against Nepal, after which they play UAE A and India A on 17 and 19 July, respectively. Top two teams from each group will qualify for the semi-finals which will be played on 21 July. The final of the tournament will be held on 23 July.
Before the team’s departure, the 15-member squad along with four non-traveling reserves players took part in the six-day camp, which was held at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore. The players under the supervision of coaching staff led by head coach Mohammad Masroor worked on different aspects related to 50-over cricket including net sessions.
Apart from 22-year-old Haris (five ODIs and nine T20Is), defending champions Shaheens will have the services of seven cricketers that have represented the Pakistan Men’s team before. The international players in the squad are: Arshad Iqbal (1 T20I), Kamran Ghulam (1 ODI), Mohammad Wasim Jnr (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).
Mohammad Haris said: “We are ready for the ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup. We won’t let the pressure of being defending champions affect us. Instead, we will keep things simple, remain composed, and strive for consistent performances’.
