Naseem Shah likely to join Pakistan’s U-19 squad to prepare for Youth World Cup 2020

The training camp for the U-19 team will be held in Lahore from Monday.

Naseem dismissed David Warner in is debut match in Brisbane | Getty Images

Having made headlines with his fiery pace on his debut Australia tour, Pakistan’s teenage fast bowling sensation Naseem Shah is all set to turn heads in the global event, as the teenage tearaway is expected to join the national squad for the upcoming ICC Under-19 World Cup 2020.

The 16-year-old may possibly train with Pakistan’s U-19 World Cup squad for the 16-team competition after Ijaz Ahmed, the head coach of the Pakistan Under-19 team, has expressed his strong desire to take him to South Africa.

The training camp will be held at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore, which will commence from Monday and will last six weeks.

Shah, who recently became the youngest cricketer after making his debut for Pakistan in Brisbane Test, was named in the original World Cup squad and Ahmed said he would request senior team coach Misbah-ul-Haq to release the young gun for the U19 World Cup 2020.

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Ahmed told ESPNcricinfo on Tuesday, “He is my main weapon and I need him there at the World Cup. He now has a taste of international cricket and now, at the home [Test] series against Sri Lanka, we are mainly banking on spinners. Pakistan has [Mohammad] Abbas and Shaheen [Afridi] to lead the fast-bowling attack according to the conditions.”

He signed off, “I feel he [Shah] for now should only be used in conditions like in New Zealand, England, etc when needed. For now, we have a very important event coming up in South Africa and he is very handy for me and I will ask Misbah [ul-Haq, the chief coach, and selector] to release him.”

Noteworthy, the U-19 World Cup 2020 will kick off with an opening match between the hosts South Africa and Afghanistan in Kimberley on 17 January while Pakistan will open their campaign against Scotland on January 19.

(With ESPNcricinfo Inputs)

 
 

By Rashmi Nanda - 04 Dec, 2019

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