The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has rejected the impression which suggests that fast-bowler Naseem Shah had been withdrawn from the Pakistan Under-19 squad for next month's ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup due to concerns over his actual age.
The PCB, as part of its standard operating procedures (SOPs), had rechecked and verified ages of all potential members of the Pakistan Under-19 side in November before selecting the squad on 6th December 2019 subsequent to which Naseem was named in the side after he met the ICC age eligibility criteria for the tournament, which was set at 1st September 2000.
The PCB, as stated in its announcement on 31st December, had clarified that Naseem had been withdrawn from the ICC U-19 Cricket World Cup on the request of the Pakistan men's senior team management purely on cricketing reasons. "The PCB is disappointed that an attempt has been made to tarnish the credibility and reputation of an emerging fast-bowler with a bright future ahead," the spokesman, said.
It may be noted that the ICC U-19 Cricket World Cup to be played in South Africa from 17th January to 9th February.
The National Junior Selector Committee, which is headed by Saleem Jaffar, has named Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Mohammad Wasim Junior as Naseem Shah's replacement. Wasim Junior took three wickets each in the ACC Asia Cup and on the tour of South Africa, while he bagged seven wickets on the tour of Sri Lanka. On the domestic circuit, he played one U19 one-day match in which he bagged three wickets, while he snapped up seven wickets in three U19 three-day matches.
Naseem Shah will now remain in Pakistan and continue to work on his skills under the watchful eyes of bowling Coach Waqar Younis. Furthermore, he will remain available for the home series against Bangladesh.
The 2004 and 2006 champions and three-time runners-up, are placed in Group C of the 16-team event and will play Scotland in their opening match on 19 January in Potchefstroom.
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