Pakistan Shaheens have announced the names of the players to be included in their squad for the Men’s Asia Cup Rising Stars 2025, an eight team tournament that will take place in Qatar from November 14 – 23.
Mohammad Irfan Khan will lead the squad as Pakistan prepare to compete in a fast paced T20 format event designed to showcase emerging talent from across Asia.
According to the schedule, Pakistan Shaheens feature in Group B with Oman, India A and the United Arab Emirates. Group A includes Afghanistan A, Bangladesh A, Hong Kong and Sri Lanka A. The T20 tournament will follow a straightforward format, with the top two teams from each group qualifying for the semifinals on 21 November. The final will take place on November 23.
Pakistan Shaheens will open their campaign on November 14 against Oman. They will face India A on November 16 in what is expected to be one of the most watched matches of the group stage. The final group match for the Shaheens will be played on November 18 against the UAE.
Pakistan Shaheens squad for the tournament:
Mohammad Irfan Khan (captain), Ahmed Daniyal, Arafat Minhas, Moaz Sadaqat, Mohammad Faiq, Mohammad Ghazi Ghori, Mohammad Naeem, Mohammad Salman, Mohammad Shehzad, Mubasir Khan, Saad Masood, Shahid Aziz, Sufyan Muqeem, Ubaid Shah and Yasir Khan.
Pakistan Shaheens serve as the national A team and act as the main platform for young and emerging players moving toward international cricket.
Their biggest achievement came in July 2023, when they defeated India A by 128 runs in the ACC Emerging Asia Cup final in Colombo.
Tayyab Tahir smashed 108 off 71 balls, helping Pakistan Shaheens post 352 for 8.
India A struggled in the chase and were bowled out for 224, giving Pakistan a dominant victory and the Emerging Asia Cup title. Bowlers Sufyan Muqeem and Arshad Iqbal played key roles in the win.
The 2023 title win showed the strength of Pakistan’s bench and highlighted players who later broke into the senior side.
In the 2019 ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup, the Pakistan Emerging side produced a dominant tournament and defeated Bangladesh Emerging in the final to win the title.
Pakistan Shaheens also delivered strong performances in previous A tours. They played competitive cricket on tours to Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe and Bangladesh, where several players recorded career-boosting performances.
Many current Pakistan players, including Saud Shakeel, Tayyab Tahir, Mohammad Haris and Sufyan Muqeem, strengthened their careers through Shaheens-level tournaments.