Pakistan’s Under-19 cricketers have arrived in Oman to defend their continental crown at the U19 Asia Cup 2026. The 15-member squad, led by captain Farhan Yousuf, departed Karachi on Thursday morning for the ACC Men’s U19 Asia Cup, which runs from 5 to 14 November. Pakistan enter the eight-team tournament as defending champions and open their campaign against the United Arab Emirates on 6 November.
The squad for the U19 Asia Cup 2026
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) named a balanced squad with depth in every department:
- Captain: Farhan Yousuf
- Wicketkeepers: Abdul Qadir and Hamza Zahoor
- Batters: Usman Khan, Hayam Khan, Jahangir Bilal and Huzaifa Ahsan
- All-rounders: Ahmed Hussain and Hasnain Abbas Dar
- Fast bowlers: Abdul Subhan, Mohammad Seyam, Ali Raza and Rizwanullah
- Spinners: Mohammad Huzaifa (left-arm wrist spin) and Niqab Shafiq (left-arm spin)
The selection keeps faith with a group that has already won together. Thirteen of the fifteen were part of the squad that beat England 3-1 in a four-match Youth ODI series in September, with pace bowler Ali Raza and batter Huzaifa Ahsan the only additions. Head coach Shahid Anwar doubles as team manager for the tour, with Rao Iftikhar Anjum as fast bowling coach, Zohaib Khan coaching spin and Humayun Farhat looking after fielding.
Photo: Younisjunejo via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Pakistan’s road through Group A
Pakistan are drawn in Group A with India, the United Arab Emirates and Nepal. All of Pakistan’s matches start at 10 am Pakistan time:
- 6 November: Pakistan v UAE, Oman Cricket Academy Ground 2
- 8 November: Pakistan v India, Oman Cricket Academy Ground 1
- 10 November: Pakistan v Nepal
Group B contains Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Malaysia. The semi-finals are scheduled for 12 November, with the final on 14 November. The 8 November meeting with India is the fixture every fan circles first, but in a short group stage the opening match against the hosts’ neighbours carries just as much weight: a slip there would leave Pakistan needing results against both India and Nepal.
Players to watch in Oman
Farhan Yousuf leads a side whose balance is its strength. The pace attack is the headline act: Ali Raza, tall and quick, has been marked out since his early teens as one of the fastest young bowlers in the country, and he is joined by Abdul Subhan, Mohammad Seyam and Rizwanullah, giving the captain four genuine seam options for Oman’s conditions. With the bat, Usman Khan and Hayam Khan provide top order stability, while all-rounders Ahmed Hussain and Hasnain Abbas Dar lengthen both the batting order and the bowling attack. Behind the stumps, Abdul Qadir and Hamza Zahoor offer two wicketkeeping choices, a luxury in a 15-man squad. Spin, so often decisive in Gulf conditions, rests with left-arm wrist spinner Mohammad Huzaifa and left-arm spinner Niqab Shafiq.
The venue deserves a note of its own. The Oman Cricket Academy Ground in Al Amerat, on the edge of Muscat, has become one of associate cricket’s busiest homes, hosting World Cup qualifiers and T20 internationals on true pitches with excellent facilities. Conditions in November are warm and dry, and evening dew can help chasing sides, small details a young captain and an experienced coaching group will already have discussed.
The title they are defending
Pakistan won the previous edition of the tournament in the United Arab Emirates, defeating India by a commanding 191 runs in the final at the ICC Academy Ground in Dubai to lift their second U19 Asia Cup title. That margin, against the strongest youth side in the region, is why this squad travels with expectations rather than hopes. A successful defence in Oman would make it back-to-back continental titles, a feat that would also send a strong group of teenagers toward the senior pathway with winning experience behind them.
Pakistan’s junior pipeline has been producing results across sports this season, from the Pakistan U15 football team’s historic first FIFA win to the senior side’s run to the ODI tri-series final in Lahore, previewed in Pakistan vs Sri Lanka ODI Tri-Series Final in Lahore. Follow every result from Oman on our Pakistan Sports Good News page, where the U19 Asia Cup 2026 campaign will be updated match by match.
Sources
- Pakistan squad departs for Oman to participate in U19 Men’s Asia Cup, Geo Super
- Pakistan U19s depart for Oman to compete in Asia Cup, The News International
- Pakistan U-19 Asia Cup 2026 squad named for Oman title defence, CricTracker
- Photo: Younisjunejo via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Umar is an engineer by profession and a passionate writer by passion. He has a deep interest in sharing good news related to Pakistan and has been working hard to promote the positive image of his homeland. Umar has written numerous articles on various topics related to Pakistan, such as technology, sports, culture, and economy.