PCB assigns two major roles to Sarfaraz Ahmed

Former Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed has been entrusted with major responsibilities as the manager and mentor of the national team for the upcoming ACC U19 Asia Cup 2025, scheduled to take place in Dubai from 12 to 21 December.

The announcement came alongside the release of Pakistan’s 15-member squad for the 50-over tournament, with last year’s participant Farhan Yousaf named captain.

Pakistan, who were semi-finalists in the previous edition before losing to Bangladesh, have been placed in Group A alongside India, Qualifier 1 and Qualifier 3. Group B features Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Qualifier 2 and Sri Lanka.

The tournament will serve as crucial preparation ahead of the ICC U19 World Cup, which Zimbabwe and Namibia will co-host from 15 January to 6 February 2026.

Pakistan will kick off their campaign on Friday, 12 December, against Qualifier 3 at The Sevens Stadium, Dubai.

Their second match, a high-profile clash against India, is set for Sunday, 14 December at the ICC Academy Ground, with their final group fixture against Qualifier 1 scheduled for Tuesday, 16 December at the same venue.

The semi-finals will take place on 19 December at The Sevens Stadium and the ICC Academy Ground, with the final slated for Sunday, 21 December.

Sarfaraz, a seasoned wicketkeeper-batter, enjoyed a prolific international career. In 54 Tests, he scored 3,031 runs, including four centuries and 21 fifties.

In 117 ODIs, he amassed 2,315 runs with two centuries and 11 fifties, while in 61 T20Is, he scored 818 runs, including three fifties.

As a captain, Sarfaraz led Pakistan to victory in the 2017 Champions Trophy, defeating India by 180 runs in the final and maintaining a 70% win rate.

He also guided Pakistan to a 62.5% win rate in the 2019 Cricket World Cup, winning five of nine matches, and recorded a 78.37% win rate in T20 Internationals with 29 wins from 37 matches.

The 38-year-old last represented Pakistan in red-ball cricket during a Test against Australia in Perth in 2023.

Pakistan's Support Staff For U19 Asia Cup 2025:

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