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HARARE: Recent victories and vigorous preparations of late have helped Pakistan get themselves ready for the forthcoming ICC Men’s U-19 World Cup, captain Farhan Yousuf said on Wednesday.
Talking to PCB Digital, Farhan said that recent contests had enabled his team to prepare for the all-important event being held in Namibia and Zimbabwe from Jan 15 to Feb 6.
“The U-19 camp in Multan helped us perform well in the Asia Cup and the [Zimbabwe] tri-series. The same support staff has been working with us for the last six months and it is now paying dividends ahead of the World Cup,” the skipper said.
“We have prepared well for the mega event. The players share a strong bond as we have been together for the last six months.
“The tri-series and the warm-up against the US helped us understand the conditions here and we are now all set to do well in the World Cup,” he added.
Pakistan open their U-19 World Cup campaign on Friday when they take on England at the Takashinga Sports Club in Harare.
Pakistan, who recently won the ACC U-19 Asia Cup in Dubai beating India and the tri-series crown in Zimbabwe, will look to carry their winning momentum in the global event.
The Green-shirts, the winners of the 2004 and 2006 editions of the U-19 World Cup, will be looking to grab their third title.
Placed in Group ‘C’ of the 16-team spectacle, Pakistan in their second group fixture face Scotland on Jan 19 at the Takashinga Sports Club, before taking on hosts Zimbabwe at the same venue in their final group match on Jan 22.
The Super Six stage of the event will be played in Bulawayo and Harare from Jan 24 to Feb 1, with the top four sides advancing to the semi-finals scheduled for Feb 3 and 4. The final will be staged at the Harare Sports Club.
The Pakistan team played two warm-ups to fine-tune their preparations for the mega event. The first warm-up against Bangladesh on Saturday was washed out at the Masvingo Sports Club while in the second warm-up Pakistan defeated the US by 69 runs at the Bulawayo Athletic Club on Tuesday.
Among the 15-member squad, only Ali Raza featured in the 2024 edition of the U-19 World Cup. The right-armer took nine wickets in the event, where Pakistan narrowly lost to Australia in the semi-final by one wicket.
Pakistan squad: Farhan Yousuf (captain), Usman Khan (vice-captain), Abdul Subhan, Ahmed Hussain, Ali Hasan Baloch, Ali Raza, Daniyal Ali Khan, Hamza Zahoor (wicket-keeper), Huzaifa Ahsan, Momin Qamar, Mohammad Sayyam, Mohammad Shayan (wicket-keeper), Niqab Shafiq, Sameer Minhas, Umar Zaib
Non-travelling reserves: Abdul Qadir, Farhanullah, Hassan Khan, Ibtisam Azhar, Mohammad HuzaifaSupport staff: Sarfaraz Ahmed (manager/mentor), Shahid Anwar (head coach/batting coach), Rao Iftikhar (bowling coach), Mansoor Amjad (fielding coach), Abrar Ahmed (trainer), Syed Nazir Ahmed (media manager), Dr Ali Aun (doctor), Ubaidullah (physio), Ali Hamza (analyst).
Published in Dawn, January 15th, 2026
