Imad Wasim named Pakistan U-19 captain

Imad Wasim, the Islamabad allrounder, has been named captain of the Pakistan U-19 team which will tour England in July and August. Shan Masood, the opening batsman, has been appointed vice-captain.

Imad was born in Swansea in Glamorgan, Wales, but is settled in Islamabad with his family. He is a left-hand batsman and slow left-arm spin bowler.

The 14-member squad included opening batsmen Ahmed Shahzad and Umar Amin and middle-order batsmen Adil Amin, Ali Asad, Usman Salahuddin and Taimur Ali. Shahzaib Ahmed Khan, a legspinner, was the lone specialist spinner in the team while Junaid Khan, Mohammad Aamer, Mohammad Rameez and Azhar Attari formed the pace attack.

Gulraiz Sadaf was retained as the wicketkeeper, after he performed the same duty on the U-19 tour of Australia in April this year. Kamran Hussain, a right-hand batsman and offspinner, would join the team only for the ODIs.

Apart from Ali Asad, Usman Salahuddin, Azhar Attari and Kamran Hussain, all the other players toured Australia, where Pakistan lost the five-match one-day series 3-2.

Asad has not played any cricket for the last year, as he was banned for indiscipline. Salahuddin played in a one-dayer in September 2006 against the touring India U-19 team. Attari, a medium-pace bowler, and Kamran Hussain were both new faces on the international U-19 circuit.

Mohammad Hussain, Rahatullah, Junaid Nadir, and Ahmed Iqbal were named as reserves. The Pakistan squad and reserve players will attend a training camp at Abbottabad from July 5 to 20. Mansoor Rana, the coach for the England trip, will supervise the training camp.

The Pakistan Under-19 team will fly to London from Karachi on July 22. The team will have practice sessions and a couple of warm-up matches before playing two four-day matches and five one-dayers against the England U-19 side beginning on August 4.