Pakistan include two legspinners in U-19 squad
Pakistan named two legspinners, Usman Qadir and Akhtar Waheed, for the upcoming Under-19 Asia Cup to be held later this month in Malaysia
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.
Umar Farooq is ESPNcricinfo's Pakistan correspondent
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