Pakistan include two legspinners in U-19 squad

Pakistan have included two legspinners, Usman Qadir, the son of former Pakistan legspinner Abdul Qadir, and Akhtar Waheed, for the upcoming Under-19 Asia Cup to be held in Malaysia later this month. The 16-member squad has been selected with the Under-19 World Cup in Australia later this year in mind.

Usman has been a part of the Pakistan Under-19 set-up since 2009. During the team's tour of South Africa in January, which included a triangular tournament and a bilateral series, Usman picked up 15 wickets from 10 matches at an average of 23.80.

The side will be led by the 17-year old batsman Babar Azam who recently played as part of the PCB Blues team in Twenty20 practise matches for Pakistan's top-rung players. He also scored 265 runs, with two half-centuries and a hundred from five matches, in this year's Faysal Bank One Day National Cup.

Left-arm fast bowler Zia-ul-Haq, who represents Pakistan International Airlines, has also been included in the squad along with opening batsman Faraz Ali. Most of the players that won the three-match youth ODI series against South Africa have been retained, including wicket-keeper Salman Afridi, who had replaced Saifullah Bangash.

Pakistan will play India in the opening game of the U-19 Asia Cup on June 24. The other participating teams include Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Nepal, Malaysia and Qatar. The tournament will be a precursor to the U-19 World Cup in Australia during August.