The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Friday announced the 15-member squad for the International Cricket Council (ICC) U-19 Cricket World Cup 2020.

A press release issued by the PCB said the National Junior Selection Committee had retained Rohail Nazir as the captain of the team while Haider Ali was selected as the vice-captain for the upcoming World Cup, expected to take place in South Africa from January 17 to February 9.

According to PCB, Pakistan are placed in Group-C of the event and will play their opening match against Scotland on January 19.

Following this, the squad will face off against Zimbabwe on January 22 and their final group match will be against Bangladesh on January 24.

After the group stage, the top two teams from each of the groups will advance to the Super League while the remaining teams will feature in the Plate Championship, PCB explained.

The top four sides of the Super League will qualify for the semi-finals and the winners will face each other for the title on February 9.

The chair of the committee Saleem Jaffar congratulated the players on their selection.

"I know some of the players will be disappointed at not being picked, but it was a tough task as we had a pool of some very exciting and exceptionally talented players to choose from. I would encourage all the players who have missed out on selection to remain positive and motivated as I am confident there will be opportunities for them down the road," he said.

"Criteria for selection was current performances and meritocracy, and I am pleased it was a consensus decision. These players have been performing up to our expectations and I am hopeful they will carry their good form into the series and produce solid performances," Jaffar added.

According to PCB, Ammad Butt Jnr, Akhtar Shah and Saim Ayub were not considered for selection due to injuries.

Squad:

• Openers: Abdul Wahid Bangalzai (Quetta), Haider Ali (Rawalpindi), Mohammad Shehzad (Multan)
• Middle-order batsmen: Mohammad Haris (Peshawar), Mohammad Huraira (Sialkot) and Mohammad Irfan Khan (Lahore)
• Wicketkeeper:Rohail Nazir (captain)
• All-rounders: Abbas Afridi (Peshawar), Fahad Munir (Lahore) and Qasim Akram (Faisalabad)
• Spinners: Amir Ali (Larkana) and Arish Ali Khan (Karachi)
• Fast bowlers: Amir Khan (Peshawar), Naseem Shah (Lahore) and Tahir Hussain (Multan)

Team management: Ijaz Ahmed (head coach-cum-manager), Rao Iftikhar Anjum (bowling coach), Abdul Majeed (assistant coach), Saboor Ahmad (trainer), Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rasul (physiotherapist), Usman Hashmi (analyst), Emmad Ahmed Hameed (media manager) and Col (retd) Usman Riffat Ansari (security manager).