Qasim Akram to lead Pakistan in Asian Games

Qasim Akram, who led Pakistan in the 2022 Under-19 World Cup, will captain Pakistan Shaheens in the 19th Asian Games, set to take place in Hangzhou, China. The event will be played in a T20 format from September 28 to October 7.

The 20-year-old, who has played 20 first-class, 45 List A games and 40 T20s, will lead the 15-man squad, which has eight players who have already played international cricket for Pakistan.

Aamir Jamal (2 T20Is), Arshad Iqbal (1 T20I), Asif Ali (21 ODIs, 55 T20Is), Haider Ali (2 ODIs, 33 T20Is), Khushdil Shah (10 ODIs, 24 T20Is), Mohammad Hasnain (9 ODIs, 27 T20Is), Shahnawaz Dahani (2 ODIs, 11 T20Is) and Usman Qadir (1 ODI, 23 T20Is) are the ones with international experience.

The Shaheens recently won the ACC Men’s Emerging Asia Cup in Sri Lanka, beating India A by 108 runs in the final. 

As per the tournament’s rule, Pakistan will feature in the event from the quarter-finals stage, scheduled to take place on October 3 and 4. The semi-finals will be played on October 6, while the final will take place on October 7. The match for the Bronze medal will also take place on October 7.

Squad: Qasim Akram (c), Omair Bin Yousuf (vc), Aamir Jamal, Arafat Minhas, Arshad Iqbal, Asif Ali, Haider Ali, Khushdil Shah, Mirza Tahir Baig, Mohammad Hasnain, Muhammad Akhlaq (wk), Rohail Nazir, Shahnawaz Dahani, Sufiyan Muqeem and Usman Qadir.

(With inputs from PCB media release)