Saud Shakeel to lead Pakistan A to Sri Lanka

Saud Shakeel of Sindi District will lead the Pakistan A outfit tour of Sri Lanka later this month. 

They will play two four-day encounters at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium (PICS) while the three One Day Internationals likely to be played in Colombo with the venue yet to be confirmed by Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC). Pakistan A is expected to land in Sri Lanka on 18 October and drive up to the Hill Capital for their hotel quarantine followed by the two four-day encounters at the PICS.

Many of the future Pakistan cricketers who are knocking at the door will tour in with this squad which is an ideal opportunity for the young side with an average age below 22 years.

Skipper Shakeel has played in several One Day International matches for the Pakistan outfit while the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) selectors have names a few youngsters from the Under-19 squad who will be featured in the Cricket World Cup in February 2022 which will take place in West Indies. With New Zealand and England cancelling their tour to Pakistan this is a good opportunity for these youngsters to get among the runs and wickets in order for selection for their future tours. (SJ)

Touring squad to Sri Lanka

• Saud Shakeel (Captain), Haider Ali (vice-captain), Abrar Ahamed, Abdullah Shafique, Arshad Iqbal, Kamran Ghulam, Khuram Shahzad, Mohamed Haris, Naseem Shah, Sahman Ali Agha, Salman Khan, Qasim Akram and Zahid Mahmood
• Four-day squad only (in Kandy): Ahmed Safi Abdullah, Omair Bin Yousuf and Usman Salalhudiin
• One-day squad only (in Colombo): Abbas Afridi and Akif Javed
• Head Coach and Team Manager: Ijaz Ahmed
• Assistant Coach: Rao Ifthikar
• Fielding Coach: Mohtashim Rashid
• Trainer: Moahmed Javed
• Analyst: Faisal Rai
• Physio: Hafiz Naeem
• Four-day matches at PICS