Emerging Teams Asia Cup: Nepal opt to bat first against Pakistan
Cricket
The eight teams in the 50-over tournament are divided into two pools
COLOMBO - Nepal have won the toss and decided to bat first against Pakistan Shaheen in a match of ACC Men’s Emerging Teams Asia Cup being played at the Colombo Cricket Club Ground in Sri Lanka on Friday (today).
The eight teams in the 50-over tournament are divided into two pools. Afghanistan A, Bangladesh A, Oman A and Sri Lanka A are a part of Group A, while Pakistan Shaheens along with India A, Nepal and UAE A are in Group B.
After taking on Nepal, Mohammad Haris-led Shaheens will take on UAE A on 17 July at the P Saravanamuttu Stadium, while their last group match will be against India A on 19 July at the R Premadasa International Cricket Stadium. 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 take place on 23 July.
Before arriving in Colombo on Tuesday night, Shaheens were involved in a six-day training camp at Lahore’s National Cricket Academy. They also underwent two-day training sessions in Colombo under the coaching panel led by Mohammad Masroor.
The previous edition of the ACC Men’s Emerging Teams Asia Cup was held in Bangladesh from 14 to 23 November 2019. Pakistan Shaheens won the 2019 iteration of the tournament beating hosts Bangladesh in the final by 77 runs at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur.
In the first semi-final of that competition, they defeated India Emerging Team in a thriller by three runs at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur. In that match Omair Bin Yousuf and Amad Butt – the only two players part of the current Shaheens squad for the forthcoming tournament – contributed significantly to the team’s win. Opening batter Omair scored 66, while right-arm fast Amad took one for 43 including a brilliant death overs spell to help his side reach the final.
On the eve of Shaheens’ opening match, Omair and Amad shed light on the team’s preparations as they looked forward to the tournament. Amad said, “We have prepared well for this event and are excited to be in action.
“Being an all-rounder, I try to give equal time to both batting and bowling in the practice sessions and make sure to do well as per the requirement of the team.
“This is a very important tournament for each one of us. This presents a comeback opportunity for me and I will strive to utilise it in order to gain a spot in the national side.”
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)
