Abdul Samad will captain Pakistan Shaheens at the men’s Asia Cup Rising Stars after the Pakistan Cricket Board named a 15-player squad on 3 November for the 50-over tournament in Qatar.
Under the current schedule, the defending champions are due to play the United Arab Emirates, India A and Nepal in the group stage. The eight-team competition is scheduled to run from 19 to 29 November, with Pakistan’s opening match against the UAE on 20 November and the meeting with India A on 22 November.
Afghanistan A, Bangladesh A, Hong Kong China and Sri Lanka A make up the other group. The top two teams in each group are set to reach the semi-finals, scheduled for 26 and 27 November, with the final to follow on 29 November.
The squad
Samad is a right-handed middle-order batter who has played for Pakistan in both one-day and Twenty20 internationals. He is joined in the batting group by Hasan Nawaz, Maaz Sadaqat, Haider Ali, Shahzaib Khan, Farhan Yousuf and Shamyl Hussain. Rohail Nazir is the designated wicketkeeper in the squad.
Danish Aziz, Saad Masood and Sufyan Moqim provide spin options. Mohammad Hasnain leads a pace group that also includes Ahmed Daniyal, Akif Javed and Muhammad Imran Randhawa. The announcement names the wider squad rather than a starting side for any of the matches.
Several selections bring recent senior international experience. Sadaqat scored 96 from 51 balls against Sri Lanka in a Twenty20 international in Rawalpindi in October. In the same match, Randhawa took three wickets for 11 runs as Pakistan won by 82 runs. Both players had made their Twenty20 international debuts in the opening match of that series.
Nawaz was part of Pakistan’s one-day international team that won the tri-series final against Sri Lanka in Lahore. He made 37 not out as Pakistan chased a target of 326 to win by three wickets, with Fakhar Zaman contributing 127 from 99 balls. Earlier in that series, he scored 79 from 74 balls in an 87-run win over England.
Two titles in different formats
Pakistan Shaheens enter the tournament as holders of both the 50-over and Twenty20 versions of the competition. Their last 50-over title came in Sri Lanka in 2023, when they beat India A by 128 runs in the final.
In that match in Colombo, openers Saim Ayub and Sahibzada Farhan put on 121 for Pakistan. Tayyab Tahir later scored 108 from 71 balls as Pakistan made 352 for eight in their 50 overs. India A were then bowled out for 224. The teams are scheduled to meet again in the group stage of this year’s tournament.
The most recent edition was played in the shorter Twenty20 format in 2025. Pakistan and Bangladesh A each made 125 in the final in Doha, sending the match to a Super Over to determine the winner. Bangladesh A had forced the tie through an unbeaten 29-run stand for the last wicket.
Daniyal, who is in the new squad, bowled Bangladesh A’s Super Over and took two wickets as they made six. Pakistan reached the target in four balls, with Masood and Sadaqat batting together in the Super Over.
Pakistan had reached the final by defending 153 against Sri Lanka A in a five-run semi-final win. Masood had earlier top-scored for Pakistan in the final with 38 from 26 balls. Sadaqat made 23, so both players who completed the Super Over chase had also contributed before the tie.
Pakistan had previously won the 2019 edition by beating Bangladesh in the final. Their 2023 victory made it successive titles in the 50-over competition. They were runners-up in the first two editions, in 2013 and 2017.
