Pakistani cricketers kick off preparation for U19 Asia Cup
Pakistani cricketers gathered at Karachi's National Stadium to prepare for the U19 Asia Cup, which will be played from Sept 5 to...
KARACHI: Pakistan's U19 cricketers have kicked off their preparation for next month's U19 Asia Cup to be held in Sri Lanka.
The U19 Asia Cup will be played from September 5 to 14 with Pakistan being placed in pool A along with India, Afghanistan, and Kuwait.
Pakistan's U19 squad gathered at Karachi's National Stadium to prepare themselves for the event under the supervision of coach Azam Khan, who believes that more than results, it is important for him to prepare players for the future.
"We are here for the training camp ahead of Asia Cup. Its 11 day cap. We will work on tactical areas and match scenario so that we can prepare best combination," Azam told media on Friday.
"We are aiming to practice on matches similar to what we are going to have in Sri Lanka. We have requested ground staff to prepare similar wickets where you get seam earlier on and break in later stages so that players get match simulation ahead of the tournament," he added.
The coach promised that the team would give its best in the tournament next month, adding that there is no pressure of the game against India.
"We will play the match against India as a normal game instead of taking it on our nerves," Khan said about Pakistan vs India game in U19 Asia Cup.
The subcontinent archrivals are scheduled to face off on September 7 in Colombo.
"We don't judge team by its name, be it Afghanistan or India," he added.
Azam went on to say that at age-group cricket, the more important target for coaching staff is to prepare players for the future instead of putting them under pressure of winning.
"One thing I would want to highlight is that in age-group cricket, results of matches shouldn't be the main thing on your mind. What matters more at this level is development of players and if we are able to prepare four to five players to represent Pakistan in the future, then it's a success for us," he said.
"We have four or five players, like Nasim Shah, Haidar Ali, Rohail Nazir, Mohammad Haris, Irfan Niazi and Aamir Ali. They are the boys who could do well in the future for Pakistan," he concluded.
The players invited to attend the camp are: Rohail Nazir, Haider Ali, Aamir Ali, Abu Huraira, Abdul Wahid Bangalzai, Akhtar Shah, Fahad Munir, Mohammad Aamir, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Basit Ali, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Irfan Khan, Mohammad Wasim JR, Naseem Shah and Qasim Akram.
ACC U19 Asia Cup 2019 (50-over tournament) schedule:
5 September – India U19 vs Kuwait U19, Pakistan U19 vs Afghanistan U19
6 September – Sri Lanka U19 vs Nepal U19, Bangladesh U19 vs UAE 19
7 September – India U19 vs Pakistan U19, Afghanistan U19 vs Kuwait U19
8 September – Sri Lanka U19 vs UAE U19, Bangladesh U19 vs Nepal U19
9 September – India U19 vs Afghanistan U19, Pakistan U19 vs Kuwait U19
10 September – Sri Lanka U19 vs Bangladesh U19, UAE U19 vs Nepal U19
12 September – Semi-final 1 A1 vs B2, Semi-final 2 A2 vs B1
14 September – Final