Irfan to lead Pakistan Shaheens in Asia Cup Rising Stars
LAHORE: Mohammad Irfan Khan will lead Pakistan Shaheens for the upcoming Asia Cup Rising Stars — an eight-team tournament to be played in Qatar from Nov 14 to 23 — the country’s cricket board announced on Friday.
The event, previously known as the Emerging Teams Asia Cup, has been rebranded from this year’s edition.
Shaheens are placed in Group ‘B’ alongside Oman, India ‘A’ and the UAE. Group ‘A’ comprises Afghanistan ‘A’, Bangladesh ‘A’, Hong Kong and Sri Lanka ‘A’.
The Shaheens will open their campaign against Oman on Friday (Nov 14), followed by fixtures against India ‘A’ on Sunday (Nov 16) and the UAE on Tuesday (Nov 18). All matches will be staged at the West End Park International Cricket Stadium, Doha.
Under the tournament format, the top two sides from each group will progress to the semi-finals, scheduled for Nov 21. The final will take place on Sunday (Nov 23).
Before their departure for Qatar on Nov 12, the Shaheens will hold a training camp from Nov 8 to 11 at the Hanif Mohammad High Performance Centre in Karachi.
Squad:Mohammad Irfan Khan (captain), Ahmed Daniyal, Arafat Minhas, Maaz Sadaqat, Mohammad Faiq, Muhammad Ghazi Ghori, Mohammad Naeem, Mohammad Salman, Mohammad Shahzad, Mubasir Khan, Saad Masood, Shahid Aziz, Sufiyan Moqim, Ubaid Shah, Yasir Khan.
Published in Dawn, November 8th, 2025