Lahore: Captained by Umer Eman, Pakistan under-16 are set to open their three-day tour of Bangladesh on April 29 in Fatullah.
Top-order batsman Umer was the leading run-getter in the 50-over series against Australia earlier this year. Another star performer from the series, Kashif Ali will be deputy to Umer. Other performers who shone against Australia include Ahmad Khan, who was the pick of Pakistan bowlers with 13 wickets, and left-arm chinaman bowler Faisal Akram, who took 10 wickets in the UAE.
However, all eyes will be on opener Mohammad Shehzad who smashed two centuries (104 and 107 not out) in the three-day practice match at the Gaddafi Stadium. Shehzad had played in just two 50-over matches against Australia, but his most impressive performance came in the one-off T20 when he scored an unbeaten 73 to help Pakistan achieve the 154-run target on the final ball of the match with six wickets remaining.
Bangladesh captain Rihad Khan and Umer attended the trophy unveiling ceremony on Sunday.
“This is going to be an exciting and tough series, which will tremendously help players from either side. At this level, the more we will play stiffer oppositions, the quicker we will learn and improve. This is just a start to our careers and the first step on a long road,” Umer said in a statement.
“We have prepared well for the upcoming matches and it is now a matter of translating those training sessions into performances. We have the capability and the players to perform strongly, and we look forward to exciting times on the Bangladesh tour. These are priceless opportunities and we are committed to making most of these. The players are motivated and geared up and I am confident we’ll give a good account of ourselves on this tour,” he said.
Following are the squads (to be selected from):
Pakistan – Umer Eman (c), Kashif Ali (vc), Ahmad Khan, Ali Asfand, Aliyan Mehmood, Amir Hassan, Aseer Mughal, Faisal Akram, Farhad Khan, Haseebullah Khan, Khalid Khan, Mohammad Shehzad, Mohammad Waqas, Rizwan Mehmood, Sameer Saqib and Zubair Shinwari (wk).
Bangladesh – Rihad Khan (c), Mahfuzur Rahman Rabbi (vc), Mofizul Islam Robin, Sazzad Hossain Miraz, Sakib Shahriar, Rafsan Jani, Shohagh Ali, Aich Mollah, Azizul Haque Rony, Tanvir Alam Ayon, Samsul Islam Epon, Maksudur Rahman, Ashiqur Rahman, Shahriar Alam Mahim and Mushfiq Hasan.
[source_without_link]ANI[/source_without_link]