Pakistan Shaheens' white-ball leg of Darwin tour to start on Sunday

Darwin:  The Pakistan Shaheens cricket team will commence its white-ball leg of the Darwin tour on Sunday with a 50-over match against hosts Northern Territory Strike at the Gardens Oval.

On Tuesday, Shaheens will face Bangladesh ‘A’ in the second 50-over match at the DXC Arena before action shifts to T20 cricket with the nine-team Top End T20 Series from 9-18 August.

Pakistan Shaheens, last year’s finalists, will take on Perth Scorchers in its opener on 10 August.

Apart from Bangladesh ‘A’ and hosts Northern Territory Strike, other participating sides are Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Comets, Adelaide Strikers, Melbourne Renegades, Melbourne Stars, Perth Scorchers and Tasmania.

Meanwhile, two changes have been made in the Pakistan Shaheens squad for the upcoming white-ball matches.

Fast bowler Kashif Ali, who suffered a right thigh tear during the second four-day match against Bangladesh ‘A’, has been ruled out, while Tayyab Tahir has replaced Mohammad Huraira. Huraira, who scored a double century against Bangladesh ‘A’ in first four-day match but was rested from the second four-dayer, has returned to Pakistan as he is in contention for this month’s red-ball matches against Bangladesh.

Mohammad Haris will captain the side, while Abdul Rehman will be the head coach with Mohammad Masroor as assistant coach/team manager.

Pakistan Shaheens Squad: Mohammad Haris (captain), Abdul Faseeh, Arafat Minhas, Arif Yaqoob, Faisal Akram, Haseebullah (wicketkeeper/batter), Jahandad Khan, Khurram Shahzad (only available for the 50-over matches), Muhammad Irfan Khan, Mohammad Imran Jnr, Mubasir Khan, Omair Bin Yousuf, Sahibzada Farhan, Tayyab Tahir and Usman Khan.

Schedule of Pakistan Shaheens white-ball matches:

4 Aug – 50-over match vs Northern Territory (NT)

6 Aug – 50 over match vs Bangladesh ‘A’

10 Aug – vs Perth Scorchers (Top End T20 Series)

11 Aug – vs Melbourne Stars (Top End T20 Series)

13 Aug – vs Tasmania (Top End T20 Series)

15 Aug – vs Melbourne Renegades (Top End T20 Series)

16 Aug – vs Bangladesh ‘A’ (Top End T20 Series)

17 Aug – vs ACT Comets (Top End T20 Series)