SB Report ISLAMABAD (January 20,2020):-Saad Khan grabbed an upset victory in the league match of the Under-21 Jubilee Insurance National Junior's Snooker Championship 2020, when he eliminated 6th seeded Zaib Khan in straight frames 3-0 at Billiard and Snooker Hall, Pakistan Sports Complex on Monday. Results: Mohammad Saleem (Kp) bt Abdullah Hassan (Isb) 3-1 (6-63, 67-35,71-29, 69-50) Saad Khan (Kp) bt Zaib Khan (Bal) 3-0 (90-9(53), 57-37, 57-78) Imran Khan (Isb) bt Ali Haider (Bal) 3-0 (67-49, 50-13, 83-8(59)) Mohammad Ahmed (Pjb) bt Mohammad Salik (Sindh) 3-0 (70-57, 28-1, 1-0) Haris Tahir (Pjb) bt Sajjad Abdullah (Kp) 3-0 (86-13, 80-9(57), 75-5(62),) Mohammad Naseem Akhtar (Pjb) bt Zahid Khan (Bal) 3-0 (77-08, 83-7(68), 84-8(84),) Sheikh Mohammad Mudassir (Pjb) bt Arij Arsalan (Sindh) 3-0 (70-10, 78-19, 64-16) Shehryar Khan (Sindh) bt Mohammad Shehryar Abbas (Pjb) 3-2 (60-32, 50-37, 41-65, 45-73, 57-52) Tuesday's Fixtures: (Pre-quarterfinals Best of 7 Frames) Haris Tahir (Pjb) v Farhan Majeed (Pjb) Shahzaib Malik (Pjb) v Shehryar Khan (Sindh) Saad Khan (Kp) v Arij Arsalan (Sindh) Mohammad Naseem Akhtar (Pjb) v Imran Khan (Isb) Mohammad Ahmed (Pjb) v Umer Farooq (Pjb) Mohammad Saleem (Kp) v Sheikh Mohammad Mudassir (Pjb) Kamran Albert Masih (Kp) v Ahsan Ramzan (Pjb) Zaib Khan (Bal) v Mohammad Umer Khan (Pjb) Groups Position: Haris Tahir (Pjb), Ahsan Ramzan (Pjb) Mohammad Naseem Akhtar (Pjb), Umer Farooq (Pjb) Sheikh Mohammad Mudassir (Pjb), Arij Arsalan (Sindh) Kamran Albert Masih (Kp), Shehryar Khan (Sindh) Shahzaib Malik (Pjb), Mohammad Saleem (Kp) Zaib Khan (Bal), Saad Khan (Kp) Mohammad Umer Khan (Pjb), Imran Khan (Isb) Mohammad Ahmed (Pjb), Farhan Majeed (Pjb)  

SB Report ISLAMABAD (January 20, 2020):-Pakistan national women’s selection committee Monday announced a 15-player squad for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, which will be held in Australia from 21 February to 8 March. The selectors have recalled Muneeba Ali and Aimen Anwar, while they have named uncapped Ayesha Naseem in the squad. The trio have replaced Nahida Khan, Ayesha Zafar and Rameen Shamim in the T20I squad, which lost 3-0 to England in Kuala Lumpur last month. The average age of the side is 24.8, which also indicates the selectors’ vision and future planning. As part of event preparation, Pakistan women will depart for Australia on 31 January and will play three warm-up matches against the West Indies on 7, 9 and 11 February. Prior to their departure, the team will have an eight-day camp from 23-30 January at the Hanif Mohammad High Performance Centre, Karachi. Squad (in alphabetical order): 1.       Bismah Maroof (captain) 2.       Aimen Anwar 3.       Aliya Riaz 4.       Anam Amin 5.       Ayesha Naseem 6.       Diana Baig 7.       Fatima Sana 8.      Iram Javed 9.       Javeria Khan 10.   Muneeba Ali 11.    Nida Dar 12.    Omaima Sohail 13.    Sadia Iqbal 14.    Sidra Nawaz (wicketkeeper) 15.    Syeda Aroob Shah   Muneeba, who last turned out for Pakistan in November 2018, has been recalled at the back of a prolific National Triangular T20 Women’s Cricket Championship, in which she scored 292 runs at a staggering average of 58.40. In the five innings of the just-concluded tournament, the left-handed opener scored a century in three half-centuries.   Ayesha has been inducted in the line-up for her hard-hitting abilities at the top of the order. The 15-year-old right-handed batter from Abbottabad scored 64 runs at a strike-rate of over 206.   Aimen, the right-arm medium-fast, took four wickets in five matches, bowling at an economy rate of 7.68, comes in as a new ball specialist to complement pacer Diana Baig and left-arm spinner Anam Amin in the Powerplay overs. She last played a T20I in February 2019 against the West Indies women in Karachi.   Urooj Mumtaz, the chair of the national women’s selection committee, said: “Jotting down the squad for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup was a tough task as many players had staked a claim in the side.   “Though the players who have been left out will be disappointed and heart-broken, this, however, should act as a motivation for them to comeback more strongly. On the other side of the coin, the selection of 15-year-old Ayesha and 16-year-old Aroob Shah should be a motivation and message for all the budding youngsters.   “Furthermore, the selectors have also valued our domestic competition, while also taking into consideration the players who have been regularly part of the side since the Bangladesh series.   “The team has been selected keeping in mind the current form and performances along with the conditions in Australia and, at the same moment, we have come up with the right balance of youth and experience which will complement each other in the mega event.   “Though Sana Mir doesn’t feature in the 15-player line-up, I believe we still have the desired experience in the squad. Sana has been a phenomenal servant of Pakistan cricket while being an inspiration to many girls out there. Unfortunately, her recent performances in the T20 format were not on her side.   “The Pakistan women’s national team’s performance graph has been on the rise and this tournament serves a perfect opportunity to this evolving unit to showcase its talent as we aim to continue to move women’s cricket forward and look towards the future.”   Pakistan captain Bismah Maroof said: “I am pleased that we have come forward with the best possible line-up which has the potential to have an impressive run at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup.   “We have tried to strike the right balance of youth and senior players. While selecting the squad we considered the recent performances in the international and domestic events.   “It was a tough decision to leave out Sana Mir. I wanted to have her in the squad over which I, along with the selection committee, had deep deliberations. We had to decide between her and the emerging players who had been impressing on all the stages.   “I respect and support the decision of the major group and hope she will continue to serve Pakistan women’s cricket in future with the same passion and energy.”   Pakistan are drawn with England, South Africa, Thailand and the West Indies in Group B.   The Bismah Maroof-led unit begin their ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2020 journey on 26 February against the West Indies Women. The take on England Women on February 28 after which they play South Africa Women and Thailand Women on 1 and 3 March.   Officials: Syed Iqbal Imam (head coach), Saleem Jaffer (bowling coach), Amir Iqbal (fielding coach), Gemaal Hussain (strength & conditioning coach), Dr Riffat Asghar Gill (physio), Aisha Jalil (team manager) and Zubair Ahmed (analyst).    

SB News Potchefstroom (January 19, 2020):-Fast bowlers Mohammad Waseem and Tahir Hussain blew away Scotland Under-19 as Pakistan teenagers got off to the perfect start in the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup 2020 with a seven-wicket win at the North West University Oval, Potchefstroom on Sunday. Scotland, who won the toss and opted to bat first, lost both openers in the opening over of the match as Tahir Hussain, playing his first match for Pakistan, sent the stumps of Angus Guy and Ben Davidson flying. Tahir then added the wicket of Tomas Mackintosh, who top-scored for Scotland with 20 runs, to his tally. Waseem, who had replaced Naseem Shah in the squad, took over from there. The right-arm pacer’s first wicket was of Jasper Davidson as he made full use of the opportunity with a probing spell of pace bowling.  Abbas Afridi took two quick wickets before Waseem polished off the tail taking the last four wickets as Scotland were sent packing for 75 in 23.5 overs. Waseem took five wickets for mere 12 runs in 7.5 overs. Tahir took three for 23 in nine overs, while Abbas took two for 32 in six overs. It took only 11.4 overs for Pakistan to chase down the target. Their run-chase was off to a shaky start as openers Haider Ali (four) and Mohammad Shehzad (0) were back in the pavilion in the first eight balls. Captain Rohail Nazir and Irfan Khan weathered the storm with a 47-run stand for the second-wicket. Rohail scored 27 off 23 balls, which included two fours a six, while Irfan returned not out with 38 runs to his name. The right-handed batsman faced 37 balls, of which six were dispatched for fours.  Pakistan take on Zimbabwe U19 in their second group match on 22 January.  Scores in brief:  Scotland U19 75 all out, 23.5 overs (Uzzair Shah 20, Tomas Mackintosh 17; Mohammad Waseem 5-12, Tahir Hussain 3-23, Abbas Afridi 2-32)  Pakistan U19 77-3, 11.4 overs (Irfan Khan 38 not out, Rohail Nazir 27)  Result Pakistan U19 win by seven wickets  Upcoming fixtures:  22 Jan – v Zimbabwe, Potchefstroom  24 Jan – v Bangladesh, Potchefstroom

SB Report ISLAMABAD (January 19, 2020):-Pakistan Blind's Cricket Council (PBCC) on Sunday elected Syed Sultan Shah its chairman for next three years term. Board of Directors have been elected for the term of next three years in the Extraordinary General Meeting. Names of the elected board members: Syed Sultan Shah (Chairman), Mohammad Ilyas Ayub (Vice Chairman), Mohammad Bilal (Director  Marketing), Habibullah (Director  Admin), Mohammad Salman Tariq Bokhari (Director Cricket Operations), Anwar Ali (Director  Finance), Saleh Mohammad (Director Information & Coordination), Atif Qayyum (Director Education & Rehab), Shamas ur Rehman (Director International Affairs)

SB Report ISLAMABAD (January 19, 2020):-Eleven played moved into the pre-quarterfinal round of the National Junior Under-21 Snooker Championship 2020 after completing the Day-3 league matches at Billiard and Snooker Hall, Pakistan Sports Complex on Sunday.  Results: Mohammad Usman (Pjb) beat Imran Khan (Isb) 3-1 (10-49, 78-24, 67-56, 59-23) Mohammad Umer Khan (Pjb) beat Haroon Sarfarz (Kp) 3-0 (63-20, 82-8, 60-10) Mohammad Salik (Sindh) beat Sheikh Ahmed (Kp) 3-1 (35-53, 64-37, 61-6, 75-15) Farhan Majeed (Pjb) beat Zulfiqar Ali (Bal) 3-0 (55-17, 63-16, 75-3) Shahzaib Malik (Pjb) beat Mohammad Saleem (Kp) 3-1 (66-43, 48-61, 66-45, 65-35) Abdullah Hassan (Isb) beat Abdul Waheed (Sindh) 3-1 (56-27, 56-43, 21-43, 60-18) Zaib Khan (Bal) beat Umer Ismail (Sindh) 3-2 (51-35, 32-79, 18-56, 63-31, 54-41) Saad Khan (Kp) beat Mohammad Sinan (Bal) 3-0 (61-32, 59-28, 67-14) Ahsan Ramzan (Pjb) beat Mohammad Ibrar (Kp) 3-0 (80-29, 75-40, 53-42) Umer Farooq (Pjb) beat Umer Junaid (Sindh) 3-0 (1-0, 65-26, 59-09) Usama Nawaz Khan (Kp) beat Mohammad Akram Shams (Sindh) 3-1 (50-55, 50-12, 49-25, 68-07) Kamran Albert (Kp) beat Arif Hussain (Bal) 3-1 (20-63, 88-17, 66-19, 55-29) Shahzaib Malik (Pjb) beat Abdul Waheed (Sindh) 3-0 (66-16, 72-08(72), 70-16(65),) Umer Ismail (Sindh) beat Mohammad Sinan (Bal) 3-0 (51-31, 49-32, 59-22) Haroon Sarfarz (Kp) beat Ali Haider (Bal) 3-0 (53-4, 53-24, 50-43) Mohammad Ahmed (Pjb) beat Zulfiqar Ali (Bal) 3-0 (69-12, 54-16, 94-7(85),) Monday's Fixture: Mohammad Saleem (Kp) V/S Abdullah Hassan (Isb) Zaib Khan (Bal) V/S Saad Khan (Kp) Imran Khan (Isb) V/S Ali Haider (Bal) Mohammad Salik (Sindh) V/S Mohammad Ahmed (Pjb) Haris Tahir (Pjb) V/S Sajjad Abdullah (Kp) Mohammad Naseem Akhtar (Pjb) V/S Zahid Khan (Bal) Sheikh Mohammad Mudassir (Pjb) V/S Arij Arsalan (Sindh) Shehryar Khan (Sindh) V/S Mohammad Shehryar Abbas (Pjb) After Day 3rd Group Position Qualify for Knockout round for pre-quarterfinals Groups Haris Tahir (Pjb), Mohammad Naseem Akhtar (Pjb), Umer Farooq (Pjb) Sheikh Muhammad Mudassir (Pjb), Arij Arsalan (Sindh) Kamran Albert Masih (Kp) Shahzaib Malik (Pjb) Zaib Khan (Bal), Saad Khan (Kp) Mohammad Umer Khan (Pjb), Farhan Majeed (Pjb)

BY Abdul Jabbar Faisal ISLAMABAD (January 19, 2020):-The National Selection Committee (NSC) for men on Sunday invited 19 players for a training camp at the National Cricket Academy, Lahore, as the camp will be kicked off from Monday (January 20) aiming to prepare the good combination for the upcoming first International Cricket Council (ICC) World Test Championship fixture against Bangladesh, which will be played at Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi from 7-11 February 2020. Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan and Shaheen Shah Afridi are part of the Pakistan side for the three T20Is against Bangladesh and will join the camp following the conclusion series on 28 January. Bilal Asif, Faheem Ashraf and Musa Khan have been added to the 16 players who were named for the two ICC World Test Championship fixtures against Sri Lanka. Bilal has been invited after he finished as the second most successful bowler with 42 wickets in the just-concluded four-day first-class Quaid-e-Azam Trophy tournament, while Central Punjab’s Faheem has been named as an all-rounder after he regained complete fitness and took five for 54 and one for 59 in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy final against Northern. Musa was not a part of the Test squad against Sri Lanka, but he had remained with the side and trained under bowling coach Waqar Younis. The squad for the Rawalpindi Test will be announced after the T20I series Players invited for the camp are: 1.        Azhar Ali (captain) (Central Punjab) 2.       Abid Ali (Sindh) 3.       Asad Shafiq (Sindh) 4.       Babar Azam (Central Punjab) 5.       Bilal Asif (Central Punjab) 6.       Fawad Alam (Sindh) 7.       Faheem Ashraf (Central Punjab) 8.      Haris Sohail (Balochistan) 9.       Imam-ul-Haq (Balochistan) 10.   Imran Khan Snr (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) 11.     Kashif Bhatti (Sindh) 12.    Mohammad Abbas (Southern Punjab) 13.    Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper) (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) 14.    Musa Khan (Northern) 15.    Naseem Shah (Central Punjab) 16.    Shaheen Shah Afridi (Northern) 17.    Shan Masood (Southern Punjab) 18.    Yasir Shah (Balochistan) 19.    Usman Shinwari (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa)

By Abdul Jabbar Faisal ISLAMABAD (January 19, 2020):-Muzammil Murtaza thrashed Aqeel Khan in the final of the Men's Singles of the 5th Begum Kulsum Saifullah Khan National Ranking Tennis Tournament-2020 at the PTF Complex, Islamabad on Sunday.  Tarik Hamdy CEO Eighteen graced the occasion as chief guest, besides a large number of diplomats including Dr. Christian Turner (British High Commissioner) and his wife, Istvan Szabo and Wife (Ambassador of Hungry) and diplomatic staff of the Swedish Embassy The Saifullah family was represented by former Federal Ministers and parliamentarians Humayun Saifullah Khan and Anwer Saifullah Khan, senator Osman Saifullah Khan and his wife, as well as Asad Saifullah Khan. In the first Men’s singles final, 2nd seed Muzammil Murtaza upset top seed and Pakistan number 1 Aqeel Khan in an exciting and closely fought match, 6-4, 7-5. The sizable crowd enjoyed the high level of tennis exhibited by the two finalists. The match lasted 1 hour and 30 minutes, and was officiated by Hasnain Mehmood. Results Men’s Single (Final): Muzammil Murtaza beat Aqeel Khan: 6-4, 7-5 Men’s Doubles (Final): Aqeel Khan, Muzammil Murtaza beat M. Abid, Waqas Malik: 4-6,6-4,(10-8) Women’s Doubles Final: The women’s doubles final, Mahin Aftab and Ushna Suhail defeated Sara Mansoor and Sarah Mahboob Khan 6-1,6-4. Boys 18& under (Final): M. Shoaib beat Subhan bin Salik: 5-7,6-3,6-1 Boy’s U-14 Singles (Final): Bilal Asim beat Haider Ali Rizwan: 6-2,6-3 Boy’s U-14 Doubles (Final): M. Huzaifa Khan , Hamid Israr beat Ahmed Nael, Bilal Asim: 4-1,4-0  Boy’s/ Girl’s U-12 (Final): Hamza Roman beat Husnain Ali Rizwan: 4-2,3-5,4-2 Boy’s/ Girl’s U-10 (Final): Hamza Ali Rizwan beat M. Hassan Usmani: 4-0,5-4(2)  Seniors 45 (Final) Rashid Malik (ZTBL), Hameed ul Haq beat Israr Gul, Irfanullah: 4-6,6-1(10-8)

SB Report ISLAMABAD (January 18, 2020):-As many as 16 matches have been played on the second day of the ongoing 12th Under-21 National Juniors’ Snooker Championship 2020 on Saturday at Pakistan Sports Board’s Billiard and Snooker Hall in the premises of Jinnah Stadium Pakistan Sports Complex. Results (Day-2):  Mohammad Umer Khan (Punjab) beat Ali Haider (Bal) 3-0 (79-0, 102-16, 81-31) Mohammad Usman (Pjb) beat Haroon Sarfarz (Kp) 3-1 (48-36, 46-55, 54-8, 47-10) Mohammad Ahmed (Pjb) beat Farhan Majeed (Pjb) 3-1 (31-64, 68-29, 65-38, 55-16) Sheikh Ahmed (Kp) beat Zulfiqar Ali (Bal) 3-0 (75-44, 46-11, 50-19) Haris Tahir (Pjb) beat Ahsan Ramzan (Pjb) 3-0 (64-43, 42-7, 70-33) Sajjad Abdullah (Kp) beat Mohammad Ibrar (Kp) 3-2 (78-39, 43-73, 41-62, 58-13, 56-50) Mohammad Naseem Akhtar (Pjb) beat Umer Junaid (Sindh) 3-0 (77-10, 64-26, 58-18) Umer Farooq (Pjb) beat Zahid Khan (Bal) 3-0 (50-14, 54-8, 51-19) Sheikh Mohammad Mudassir (Pjb) beat Usama Nawaz Khan (Kp) 3-1 (44-43, 69-44, 27-72, 77-22) Arij Arsalan (Sindh) beat Mohammad Akram Shams (Sindh) 3-0 (67-21, 61-45, 67-53) Shehryar Khan (Sindh) beat Arif Hussain (Bal) 3-0 (78-36, 78-24, 58-39) Kamran Albert (Kp) beat Mohammad Shehryar Abbas (Pjb) 3-2 (37-45, 72-21, 69-33, 19-62, 59-14) Imran Khan (Isb) beat Haroon Sarfarz (Kp) 3-1 (2-46, 58-15, 54-3, 58-28) Mohammad Umer Khan (Pjb) beat Mohammad Usman (Pjb) 3-0 (65-22, 59-34, 74-1) Mohammad Salik (Sindh) beat Zulfiqar Ali (Bal) 3-0 (69-33, 52-3, 51-31) Farhan Majeed (Pjb) beat Sheikh Ahmed (Kp) 3-0 (79-1, 65-29, 51-23)  Sunday’s Fixture: Imran Khan (Isb) V/S Mohammad Usman (Pjb) Haroon Sarfarz (Kp) V/S Mohammad Umer Khan (Pjb) Mohammad Salik (Sindh) V/S Sheikh Ahmed (Kp) Zulfiqar Ali (Bal) V/S Farhan Majeed (Pjb) Mohammad Saleem (Kp) V/S Shahzaib Malik (Pjb) Abdullah Hassan (Isb) V/S Abdul Waheed (Sindh) Zaib Khan (Bal) V/S Umer Ismail (Sindh) Saad Khan (Kp) V/S Mohammad Sinan (Bal) Ahsan Ramzan (Pjb) V/S Mohammad Ibrar (Kp) Umer Junaid (Sindh) V/S Umer Farooq (Pjb) Usama Nawaz Khan (Kp) V/S M. Akram Shams (Sindh) Arif Hussain (Bal) V/S Kamran Albert (Kp) Shahzaib Malik (Pjb) V/S Abdul Waheed (Sindh) Umer Ismail (Sindh) V/S Mohammad Sinan (Bal) Ali Haider (Bal) V/S Haroon Sarfarz (Kp) Mohammad Ahmed (Pjb) V/S Zulfiqar Ali (Bal)

By Abdul Jabbar Faisal ISLAMABAD (January 18, 2020):-Upcoming and one of the best national tennis player, unseeded Mahin Aftab has won the title of 5th Begum Kulsum Saifullah Khan National Ranking Tennis Tournament 2020 after brushing aside to second seeded Sarah Mahboob Khan 2-1 in well contested three set ladies’ final at PTF Tennis Complex on Saturday. The final score-line was 6-7(4), 6-4 and 6-4. Men’s Singles final will be played on Sunday between Aqeel Khan and Muzammil Murtaza at same venue. Mahin and Sarah started the game in style and displayed excellent skills of tennis and amused the spectators while rest of two games won by Mahin in similar fashion 6-4 and 6-4. Title winner played some beautiful forehand, backhand and classic drop short during her game. Finally, Mahin Aftab showed the exit to her opponent with the score-line of 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-4.  A total number of 17 matches were played on the 5th day in all the categories. In the first Men’s singles semi-final, 2nd seed Muzammil Murtaza brought an end to teenager Mohammad Shoaib’s winning spree in an exciting and closely fought match, 6-4, 6-3. In the 2nd semi-final, top seeded Aqeel Khan survived a scare from 4th seed Muhammad Abid in a nail biting 3 set affair that finished with the score of 3-6, 6-4 and 6-4. Results: Men’s Singles Matches: (Semifinals): Muzammil Murtaza beat Mohammad Shoaib: 6-4, 6-3 Aqeel Khan beat Mohammad Abid: 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 Men’s Doubles (Semifinals): Mohammad Abid, Waqas Malik beat Mudassir Murtaza, Mohammad Shoaib: 6-3, 3-6, 10-6 Aqeel Khan, Muzammil Murtaza beat Ahmed Chudhary, Barkatullah: 6-2, 6-4 Ladies Singles (Final): Mahin Aftab beat Sarah Mahboob Khan: 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-4. Boys’ Under- 18 (Semifinals): Mohammad Shoaib beat Hamid Israr: 6-2, 6-1. Subhan Salik beat Hashish Kumar: 6-4, 7-6(2) Boy’s U-14 Singles (Semifinals): Bilal Asim beat Yahya Musa Luni: 4-0, 4-1 Haider Ali Rizwan beat Shahsawar Khan: 2-4, 5-3, 4-1. Boy’s U-14 Doubles (Semifinals): Mohammad Huzaifa, Hamid Israr beat Shahsawar, Yahya Musa: 5-3, 4-2. Ahmed Bail, Bilal Asim beat Haider Ali Rizwan, Hussnain Ali Rizwan: 5-3, 4-2 Boy’s/ Girl’s U-12 (Semifinals): Hamza Roman beat Ehtisham Hamayun: 4-2, 4-1. Hussnain Ali Rizwan beat Hamza Ali Rizwan: 4-0, 4-1. Boy’s/ Girl’s U-10 (Semifinals): Mohammad Hassan Usman beat Hammad Shah: 4-1, 4-2. Hamza Ali Rizwan beat Razik Sultan: 4-1, 4-1 Seniors 45 (Semifinals): Rashid Malik (ZTBL), Hameed ul Haq beat Mubarak Shah, Col. Altif 6-2, 6-1 Israr Gul, Irfanullah beat Salman Haider, Altaf Hussain: 6-2, 6-1.

By Our Special Correspondent ISLAMABAD (January 18, 2020):-Pakistan, who won their second and last ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 14 years ago, will launch their Group C campaign in the 2020 edition when they will take on Scotland in Potchefstroom, South Africa, on Sunday, 19 January. They will then take on Zimbabwe and Bangladesh on 22 and 24 January, respectively. If Pakistan tops Group C, they will take on runners-up from Group D in the third Super League quarter-final in Potchefstroom on 30 January. In the scenario of Pakistan finishing runners-up in Group C, they will take on the winner of Group D in the last quarter-final on 31 January in Benoni. The Super League semi-finals will be held on 4 and 6 February in Potchefstroom with the final on 9 February at the same venue. Pakistan have returned to familiar territory for the most prestigious age-group competition. When they had toured South Africa in June-July last year as part of their event preparations, they had thumbed the hosts 7-0. In the two World Cup warm-up matches against Nigeria and Sri Lanka in Pretoria, Pakistan have recorded impressive nine-wicket and four-wicket victories, respectively. To further supplement their recent record, Pakistan are the third most successful side in the history of the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup after India, who have won the event four times, and Australia, the three-time championship. Pakistan also have the third best success percentage of 71.62, after India (76.31) and Australia (76.05). Pakistan is captained by the highly-rated Rohail Nazir, the wicketkeeper-batsman who scored a century on his first-class debut in the previous season. He had maintained his impressive form in the away series against South Africa and Sri Lanka, as well as with the Pakistan Emerging side in Bangladesh. Haider Ali, Rohail’s deputy, scored 317 runs in Pakistan’s 7-0 win over South Africa and then followed up with 214 runs in Pakistan’s 3-2 series win over Sri Lanka. In the ACC Emerging Cup, he scored 218 runs in five matches, while he scored 645 runs in seven first-class matches this season. The side is coached by Ijaz Ahmed, who played 60 Tests and 250 ODIs between 1986 and 2001, scoring 3,315 and 6,564 runs, respectively. Looking ahead to the competition, Rohail Nazir said: “We all are very excited as we have been preparing for this tournament for more than eight months. We are fully prepared to take on Scotland in our opener in less than 24 hours. “Of course, there are a few butterflies in the stomach because it is such a massive event and opportunity for all of us, but I am sure we’ll settle down once we will step on to the field. I think this is where Ijaz Ahmed becomes so critical for our match preparations because he has seen and felt all this. His pep talks have already calmed down lots of nerves and we are completely focused, motivated and determined to perform strongly. “We are an extremely fortunate bunch of cricketers who are about to taste international cricket. Apart from learning the rigours and demands of international cricket in an ICC-organised event, the World Cup will provide us the additional opportunity to meet cricketers from other sides and then build on those relationships for future. “I firmly believe we are best prepared for the World Cup and have all the tools to produce the desired results. But we are not the only side which has come here fully prepared. I think all other 15 sides have arrived in South Africa firmly believing they can win the tournament. “We all know stakes are high in this tournament and if we can achieve strong results, then we edge closer to our dreams of representing Pakistan at the highest level. At this level, this incentive is greater and bigger than anything and will shadow us in this tournament. “We have won the tournaments in 2004 and 2006, and I am confident we will win the tournament in 2020.” Pakistan’s group fixtures: 19 Jan – v Scotland, Potchefstroom 22 Jan – v Zimbabwe, Potchefstroom 24 Jan – v Bangladesh, Potchefstroom ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup 2020 Groups: Group A – India, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and Japan Group B – Australia, England, West Indies and Nigeria Group C – Pakistan, Bangladesh, Zimbabwe and Scotland Group D – Afghanistan, South Africa, UAE and Canada About the players (in alphabetical order): Rohail Nazir (captain) - This will be his second ICC U19 Cricket World Cup. After scoring a century on his first-class debut last year, he was appointed U19 captain last year for the ACC U19 Asia Cup. He was one of the most impressive players in the bilateral series against Sri Lanka and South Africa, and then carried his form into the ACC Emerging Cup. In six first-class matches last  year, he has scored 320  runs. In the final of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, Pakistan’s premier first-class tournament, Rohail scored twin-fifties. Haider Ali (vice-captain) – Scored 317 runs in Pakistan’s 7-0 win over South Africa in June/July and then followed up with 214 runs in Pakistan’s 3-2 series win over Sri Lanka. In last month’s ACC Emerging Cup, he scored 218 runs in five matches. In seven first-class matches last year, he has scored 645 runs, including a century in the final of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy. Aamir Khan – The 18-year-old took 18 wickets in five matches in the PCB U19 three-day tournament after bagging one wicket in two PCB U19 one-day tournament. In the three-day non first-class Quaid-e-Azam Trophy tournament, he took five wickets in three matches. Abbas Afridi – Took 17 wickets and scored 129 runs in 13 matches in Sri Lanka, South Africa and in the Asia Cup. Didn’t play in this year’s PCB U19 events after having already competed in three previous U19 events Abdul Wahid Bangalzai – The 16 -year-old was the fifth leading run-getter in the PCB U19 One-Day Tournament with 246 runs, while in the three-day competition with 276 runs. He also played in the ACC U19 Asia Cup. Amir Ali – The 17 -year-old left-arm spinner made his first-class debut this season and took one wicket. Prior to that, he toured South Africa and returned as the most successful bowler with 13 wickets. In the ACC Asia Cup, he took four wickets in three matches, while he picked up seven and 28 wickets, respectively in the PCB U19 One-Day and Three-Day competition, respectively. Arish Ali Khan – The left-arm spinner was the leading wicket-taker in the PCB U19 One-Day Tournament with 15 wickets, while in the three-day tournament, he was the second leading wicket-taker with 30 wickets. He has been selected for the first time in the Pakistan U19 squad. Fahad Munir – 17-year-old all-rounder scored 170 runs and took five wickets on the last year’s South African tour.He scored 50 runs and took three wickets in the ACC U19 Asia Cup. Didn’t play in this year’s PCB U19 events after having already competed in three previous U19 events Mohammad Haris – The 18 -year-old middle-order batsman from Peshawar toured South Africa and also featured in the ACC Asia Cup, scoring 275 runs in seven matches and 96 runs in three matches, respectively. In the non first-class three-day Quaid-e-Azam Trophy tournament, he scored 31 runs in three matches. Didn’t play in this year’s PCB U19 events after having already competed in three previous U19 events Mohammad Huraira – The 17 -year-old right-handed batsman was the top-scorer in the PCB U19 One-Day Tournament with 342 runs and then followed up with 358 runs in the three-day event –third most in the event. Mohammad Irfan Khan – Scored 83 runs in the ACC U19 Asia Cup, third most by a Pakistan batsman. Prior to that, he had scored 208 runs in South Africa, while he scored 475 runs in 10 three-day Quaid-e-Azam Trophy matches. Didn’t play in this year’s PCB U19 events after having already competed in three previous U19 events Mohammad Shehzad – The 15 -year-old opener played in away and home series against Bangladesh U16. In the away series, he scored 26 runs in three 50-over matchesIn the home series, he scored 72 runs in two 50-over matches. In the ongoing PCB U16 three-day tournament, he has scored 175 runs in two matches at an average of 67. He has also taken six wickets. Mohammad Wasim Jnr – The 18 -year-old from North Waziristan took three wickets each in the ACC Asia Cup and on the tour of South Africa, while he bagged seven wickets on the tour of Sri Lanka. On the domestic circuit, he played one U19 one-day match in which he bagged three wickets, while he snapped up seven wickets in three U19 three-day matches. Tahir Hussain;– The left-arm fast-bowler took six wickets in four PCB Under-19 One-Day Tournament, while in three matches of PCB U19 three-day event, he bagged three wickets. Qasim Akram – The 17-year-old all-rounder scored 296 runs and took three wickets, and scored 260 runs and took 15 wickets in the PCB U19 One-Day and Three-Day Tournaments, respectively. In the Asia Cup, he scored 30 runs and claimed four wickets, while he scored 77 runs and 124 runs in South Africa and Sri Lanka, respectively.