The Pakistan Cricket Board has today announced the 15-member Pakistan Shaheens squad for the upcoming 50-over edition of the ACC Men’s Asia Cup Rising Stars 2026 set to be played in Qatar from 19 to 29 November.
Abdul Samad will lead defending champions Pakistan Shaheens in the tournament where they are placed in Group B alongside India A, Nepal and United Arab Emirates (UAE). Shaheens will begin their campaign against UAE on 20 November and will face India A on 22 and Nepal on 24 November.
The semi-finals of the tournament will be played on 26 and 27 November, while the final will take place on Sunday, 29 November. All of Shaheens’ matches are day-night and will be played at the Eden Park International Stadium except the first one which is a day fixture and is scheduled to be played at the University of Doha Ground.
Apart from skipper Samad, Hasan Nawaz, Maaz Sadaqat, Haider Ali, Shahzaib Khan, Farhan Yousuf, Shamyl Hussain form a strong batting core for the Shaheens with Rohail Nazir listed as the designated wicket-keeper.
Left-arm spin bowling all-rounder Danish Aziz, leg-spinner Saad Masood and Sufyan Moqim are the trio of spinners in the squad. The pace contingent will be led by Mohammad Hasnain and it comprises of Ahmed Daniyal – Shaheens’ super-over hero from the previous edition of the tournament – left-arm pacer Akif Javed and Muhammad Imran Randhawa.
Shaheens won the last 50-over edition of the ACC Men’s Asia Cup Rising Stars in 2023 in Sri Lanka when they beat India A by 128 runs. Meanwhile, in the previous edition, which was played in T20 format, the Shaheens clinched title by edging Bangladesh A in a thrilling final decided by super-over.
Pakistan were runners-up in the opening two editions of this tournament in 2013 and 2017, while they emerged victorious in 2019. In the 2026 edition, the Group A consists of Afghanistan A, Bangladesh A, Hong Kong China and Sri Lanka A.
15-member squad
Abdul Samad (captain), Ahmed Daniyal, Akif Javed, Danish Aziz, Farhan Yousuf, Haider Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Maaz Sadaqat, Mohammad Hasnain, Muhammad Imran Randhawa, Rohail Nazir (wk), Saad Masood, Shahzaib Khan, Shamyl Hussain, Sufyan Moqim
Pakistan Shaheens fixtures
20 November – 11am PKT – v United Arab Emirates at University of Doha Science and Technology
22 November – 3pm PKT – v India A at West End Park International Cricket Stadium
24 November – 3pm PKT – v Nepal at West End Park International Cricket Stadium
26 November – 3pm PKT – 1st Semi-final at West End Park International Cricket Stadium
27 November – 3pm PKT – 2nd Semi-final at West End Park International Cricket Stadium
29 November – 3pm PKT – Final at West End Park International Cricket Stadium