'Pakistan most talented at U-19 level' - Ghumman

Azeem Ghumman, the Pakistan Under-19 captain, has expressed happiness over his team's performance in the recently concluded tri-series in Sri Lanka, despite their close defeat against the hosts in the final.

"We were so close to victory and had a great opportunity to run the Sri Lankan batsman out in the final when they scampered through for the match-winning single" Ghumman told PakPassion.net. "The tri-series was very beneficial because it gave us an opportunity to assess our team's strengths and weaknesses."

Evaluating his team's prospects in the upcoming U-19 World Cup in New Zealand, Ghumman said that while he was satisfied with the team's batting and bowling, they needed to work on their fielding. He expressed confidence that the young talent in Pakistan's domestic circuit was as the best in the world.

"Pakistan cricket has a bright future that I can say for sure, we have the best talent in the world at this level. There are a number of very talented boys that I think will form the nucleus of the Pakistan team in future. Babar Azam is an awesome talent, an excellent batsman at such a young age, Usman Qadir is a very good allrounder, Raza Hasan is a left-arm spinner and is another who has a bright future ahead of him in my opinion," Ghumman said.

Ghumman was full of praise for coach Ijaz Ahmed who assisted his leadership of the team. "I've captained teams from a young age and I enjoy the responsibility. As a captain I believe you are always learning from your mistakes. Our coach, experienced former Pakistan batsman Ijaz Ahmed, was so helpful and guided me with regards to captaincy and kept on offering me advice, which was great," Ghumman said.