The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced the appointment of Sahibzada Farhan as the captain of the Pakistan Shaheens for their upcoming series against Bangladesh A in Darwin, Australia. Farhan will lead the team in two four-day matches scheduled to take place this month.
Pacer Hunain Shah, initially selected for the tour, has been sidelined due to injury. All-rounder Qasim Akram has been named as his replacement, ensuring the team retains a balanced lineup.
The Pakistan Shaheens squad is set to depart for Australia via Dubai in the early hours of Saturday.
Pakistan Shaheens Squad:
– Haseebullah
– Qasim Akram
– Kamran Ghulam
– Kashif Ali
– Khurram Shahzad
– Mehran Mumtaz
– Mohammad Huraira
– Mubasir Khan
– Muhammad Irfan Khan
– Omair Bin Yousuf
– Sahibzada Farhan (c)
– Shahnawaz Dahani
– Tayyab Tahir
– Umar Amin
Preparations for the tour began with a pre-season fitness and fielding camp at the Hanif Mohammad High Performance Centre in Karachi, attended by 25 cricketers from June 24 to July 7. This was followed by a reduced 15-member squad participating in a training camp from July 8 to July 13.
During their stay in Darwin, the Pakistan Shaheens will face Bangladesh A in two four-day matches, compete in two 50-over games against Northern Territory and Bangladesh A, and participate in the nine-team Top End T20 Series.
Former Australian fast bowler and current Pakistan red-ball head coach Jason Gillespie will oversee the training camp from July 8 to July 13 and accompany the team to Darwin as head coach. Gillespie will return to Pakistan after the second four-day match against Bangladesh A on July 29 to prepare for Pakistan’s two-Test series against Bangladesh.
Mohammad Masroor will supervise the pre-season camp and will serve as the Assistant Coach-cum-Manager during the tour. Abdul Rehman, appointed as the white-ball head coach, will join the team on July 28 to coach during the 50-over and T20 matches from August 4 to August 18.
Schedule in Darwin:
July 14:Arrival in Darwin
July 19-22:Four-day match vs Bangladesh A
July 26-29:Four-day match vs Bangladesh A
August 4:50-over match vs Northern Territory
August 6:50-over match vs Bangladesh A
August 9-18:Nine-team Top End T20 Series
The PCB’s extensive preparations highlight their commitment to nurturing young talent and ensuring a competitive squad for the upcoming series.
