LAHORE: Former captain Sarfaraz Ahmed has been appointed as Manager/Mentor of the Pakistan U19 side for next week’s ACC U19 Asia Cup, which will be held in Dubai from 12-21 December.

Sarfaraz, who led Pakistan to ICC U19 and Champions Trophy titles, has been in the news recently and linked to a few positions within the cricket setup. However, the Pakistan Cricket Board’s first announcement about the former wicketkeeper/batter was the confirmation of his assignment as Manager/Mentor of the U19 side.

Meanwhile, Farhan Yousaf will captain the side in the 50-over event, while Usman Khan has been named as vice-captain.

Other members of the side are: Abdul Subhan, Ahmed Hussain, Ali Hassan Baloch, Ali Raza, Daniyal Ali Khan, Hamza Zahoor (wk), Huzaifa Ahsan, Momin Qamar, Mohammad Huzaifa, Mohammad Sayyam, Mohammad Shayan (wk), Niqab Shafiq, and Sameer Minhas.

Non-traveling Reserve Players: Abdul Qadir, Hasnain Dar, Mohammad Hassan Khan, Ibtisam Azhar, and Umar Zaib.

Pakistan are placed in Group A alongside India, Qualifier 1, and Qualifier 3. Group ‘B’ comprises Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Qualifier 2, and Sri Lanka. Pakistan will open their campaign on Friday, 12 December against Qualifier 3 at The Sevens Stadium in Dubai.

Their second group match is against India on Sunday, 14 December at the ICC Academy Ground in Dubai, while their final group fixture is against Qualifier 1 on Tuesday, 16 December at the same venue.

The semi-finals will be played on 19 December at The Sevens Stadium and ICC Academy Ground, while the final will take place on Sunday, 21 December.

The ACC Asia Cup is being promoted as a preparatory tournament for the ICC U19 World Cup, which will be co-hosted by Zimbabwe and Namibia from 15 January to 6 February 2026.

PLAYER SUPPORT PERSONNEL: Sarfaraz Ahmed (manager/mentor), Shahid Anwar (head coach/batting coach), Rao Iftikhar (bowling coach), Mansoor Amjad (fielding coach.), Abrar Ahmed (trainer), Ubaidullah (physio), Ali Hamza (analyst)