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Pakistan Shaheens to face England Lions in white-ball series in Abu Dhabi [3 T20s and 5 One-Day matches from 20 February to 9 March]

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Pakistan Shaheens will feature in a white-ball series against England Lions in Abu Dhabi from 20 February to 9 March, the Pakistan Cricket Board announced today.

The series comprises three T20s and five one-day matches, with the T20s scheduled for 20, 22 and 24 February. The T20 series will be followed by five one-day matches which will be played on 27 February, 1, 4, 6 and 9 March.

The series has been organised to provide maximum opportunities and incentives for young players to perform and press their claims for selection in the senior side.

Since July 2024, Pakistan Shaheens have featured in a number of events, including back-to-back tours of Darwin, Australia and home series against Bangladesh ‘A’ and Sri Lanka ‘A’. They also participated in the ACC Men’s T20 Emerging Asia Cup last year and toured England (two three dayers, three one-day matches) earlier this year.

The last time Pakistan Shaheens, formerly known as Pakistan ‘A’ took on England Lions was in 2018, when both sides played a series comprising one four-dayer, five one-day matches and two T20s in the UAE. Pakistan ‘A’ won the only four-dayer and the five-match one-day series, while England Lions won the two-match T20 series.

Usman Wahla, PCB Director – International:

“The series against England Lions has been organised to provide maximum opportunities for our emerging players to perform and stake a claim for selection at the international level. By playing competitive series, our young players gain invaluable experience and a clearer understanding of the standards expected at the highest level.

“Over the past 15 months, Pakistan Shaheens have travelled and performed in a variety of conditions. We are confident this series will further strengthen our bench strength and provide the selectors with more options for the senior team.”

Series schedule:

20 February – First T20

22 February – Second T20

24 February – Third T20

27 February – First One-Day

1 March – Second One-Day

4 March – Third One-Day

6 March – Fourth One-Day

9 March – Fifth One-Day
 
It's nice that it's happening over not happening but there needs to be a proper A tours where our upcoming players go & play in SENA conditions. We literally have players who get selected for international cricket and its first time experience for them playing in Australia/NZ/England/SA which is just insane.
 
Can't we accomodate even one 4 day match ? We tour Bangladesh away in March so this could've served as pre-series prep on turning UAE wickets.
 
India U19 team played two test series one in England one in Australia. But pakistan A team doesn't have any. Surprising
 
Please PCB... send the youngsters here... No need for those who already made it in international squad... Players like azan, Nafay, Naeem, Ali ETC
 
I read a report - Australia is touring to Pakistan for 3 T20 just before World T20 and for 3 ODI just after World T20 2026. @BouncerGuy
 
I read a report - Australia is touring to Pakistan for 3 T20 just before World T20 and for 3 ODI just after World T20 2026. @BouncerGuy
Yes... Have seen some reports but nothing finalized yet...

But this tour of Shaheens is very important as well...
 
Please PCB... send the youngsters here... No need for those who already made it in international squad... Players like azan, Nafay, Naeem, Ali ETC
For these tour 4 day first class match are more important than T20. You don't learn anything by playing T20 cricket :kp
 
For these tour 4 day first class match are more important than T20. You don't learn anything by playing T20 cricket :kp
They are already playing it.. But if PCB has arranged this tour then instead of seding player like talat, we should be sending future stars
 

Cox and Mousley to captain England Lions in UAE​


Jordan Cox and Dan Mousley will captain the England Lions’ T20 and 50-over squads respectively during next month’s white-ball series against Pakistan Shaheens in the United Arab Emirates.

The selectors have named a 17-player squad for the three-match T20 series, with a 16-player squad announced for the five 50-over matches.

T20 squad

Jordan Cox (Essex - captain)

Sonny Baker (Hampshire)

Luc Benkenstein (Essex)

James Coles (Sussex)

Sam Cook (Essex)

Scott Currie (Hampshire)

Calvin Harrison (Northamptonshire)

Eddie Jack (Hampshire)

Saqib Mahmood (Lancashire)

Ben McKinney (Durham)

Tom Moores (Nottinghamshire)

Dan Mousley (Warwickshire)

Matt Revis (Yorkshire)

Will Smeed (Somerset)

Nathan Sowter (Durham)

Mitch Stanley (Lancashire)

Asa Tribe (Glamorgan)

50-over squad

Dan Mousley (Warwickshire – captain)

Sonny Baker (Hampshire)

Luc Benkenstein (Essex)

Sam Cook (Essex)

James Coles (Sussex)

Scott Currie (Hampshire)

Calvin Harrison (Northamptonshire)

Eddie Jack (Hampshire)

Ben McKinney (Durham)

Liam Patterson-White (Nottinghamshire)

Matthew Potts (Durham)

Matt Revis (Yorkshire)

James Rew (Somerset)

Mitch Stanley (Lancashire)

Asa Tribe (Glamorgan)

James Wharton (Yorkshire)

ECB Men’s Performance Director, Ed Barney, said: “It’s exciting to have such a strong England Lions squad selected. This group brings a real blend of proven performers, exciting talent who have performed over the winter and retains an eye on future best.

“With limited 50-over cricket on offer, this series combined with tours over the remainder of 2026 will give players the opportunity to develop and deliver as we build towards the 2027 ICC Men's World Cup in South Africa.”

England Lions Head Coach Andrew Flintoff will lead a coaching staff that will include Troy Cooley’s first tour since returning to the ECB as Men's Elite National Pace Bowling Lead. The coaching team – which will attend either all or part of the tour – includes Neil McKenzie, Sarah Taylor, Neil Killeen, Moeen Ali, Amar Rashid and Ben Stokes.

The tour will be the first time that England Lions have played an away white-ball series since they travelled to Sri Lanka in February 2022. The Lions will also host South Africa A and Sri Lanka in white-ball cricket this summer with white-ball tours also planned for next winter.


Tour schedule – England Lions v Pakistan Shaheens

1st T20: Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi – Friday 20 February 2026

2nd T20: Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi – Sunday 22 February 2026

3rd T20: Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi – Tuesday 24 February 2026

1st 50-over match: Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi – Friday 27 February 2026

2nd 50-over match: Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi – Sunday 1 March 2026

3rd 50-over match: Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi – Wednesday 4 March 2026

4th 50-over match: Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi – Friday 6 March 2026

5th 50-over match: Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi – Monday 9 March 2026

 
Pakistan Shaheens squad announced for white-ball series against England Lions

Lahore, 2 February 2026:

The Pakistan Cricket Board has announced the 16-member Pakistan Shaheens squad for the upcoming T20 and 50-over series against England Lions in Abu Dhabi. The three-match T20 series will begin on Friday, 20 February, while the five-match 50-over series will be played from 27 February to 9 March.

All the matches are set to take place at the Stadium Oval in Abu Dhabi. The Pakistan Shaheens squad will take part in a seven-day training camp from 11-17 February in Karachi before departing for United Arab Emirates.

Left-hand batter Shamyl Hussain is set to lead the Shaheens in both the T20 and 50-over series, while in the batting department he will be joined by Abdul Samad, Hasan Nawaz, player of the tournament in ACC Men’s Asia Cup Rising Stars Maaz Sadaqat and left-hand batter Saad Khan.

Pakistan U19 batter Sameer Minhas has also received the call-up for both the series along with his brother Arafat Minhas as the duo make strong strides following their appearances in the ICC U19 World Cup and ACC Men’s Asia Cup Rising Stars, respectively.

Rohail Nazir and Saad Baig will take up the wicket-keeping duties, while Arafat, leg-spinner Saad Masood and left-arm wrist spinner Sufyan Moqim form the spin contingent for the Shaheens.

Among the fast bowlers Pakistan U19 pacer Ali Raza will be joined by Ahmed Daniyal, Akif Javed, Mohammad Salman and Shahid Aziz.

Sarfaraz Ahmed is set to be the mentor and team manager of the Pakistan Shaheens team for this tour. Former Test player Ijaz Ahmed Jnr will be the head coach and he will be supported by former Pakistan international Mansoor Amjad (fielding coach) and former Test fast bowler Aizaz Cheema (bowling coach).

Pakistan Shaheens squad:

Shamyl Hussain (captain), Abdul Samad, Arafat Minhas, Ahmed Daniyal, Akif Javed, Ali Raza, Hasan Nawaz, Maaz Sadaqat, Mohammad Salman, Rohail Nazir (wk), Saad Baig (wk), Saad Khan, Saad Masood, Sameer Minhas, Shahid Aziz, and Sufyan Moqim.

Player support personnel:

Sarfaraz Ahmed (mentor & team manager), Ijaz Ahmed Jnr (head coach), Mansoor Amjad (fielding coach), Aizaz Cheema (bowling coach), Mohammad Tahir (physiotherapist) and Usman Hashmi (performance analyst)

Pakistan Shaheens v England Lions series schedule: (All matches at Stadium Oval, Abu Dhabi)

1st T20 - 20 February

2nd T20 – 22 February

3rd T20 – 24 February

1st 50-over – 27 February

2nd 50-0ver – 1 March

3rd 50-over – 4 March

4th 50-over – 6 March

5th 50-over – 9 March
 
Good to see Sameer Minhas in the squad. And is Shamyl Hussain as captain a selction on merit, or is because of his dad?

For experience it's good with 5 ODs and 3 T20s, but from a spectator's point of view it should have been other way around.
 
This is a very strong England squad too. For once Shaheens are playing against credible opposition. These England guys are players who are international or on the cusp of international. Nice to see Maaz, Sameer, and Ali Reza in this squad. This will be a good test for them and the other players. Honestly I think we will struggle but its about building up some experience.
 
Good to see Sameer Minhas in the squad. And is Shamyl Hussain as captain a selction on merit, or is because of his dad?

For experience it's good with 5 ODs and 3 T20s, but from a spectator's point of view it should have been other way around.
I think its on merit, he is a very good player, dont think his dad has that much sway.
 
Overall a good team.
Shahzaib is unlucky not to be selected. Same goes for Arshad Iqbal and Faisal Akram. All three have done consistently well. Think Arshad would have been a better pick than Akif. Shahid and Salman haven't been very convincing either but perhaps getting the benefit of continuity.
 
Overall a good team.
Shahzaib is unlucky not to be selected. Same goes for Arshad Iqbal and Faisal Akram. All three have done consistently well. Think Arshad would have been a better pick than Akif. Shahid and Salman haven't been very convincing either but perhaps getting the benefit of continuity.
Shahzaib is playing at 70sr in list A which is unacceptable.
 
Shamyl Hussain
Maaz Sadaqat
Sameer Minhas
Rohail Nazir
Hassan Nawaz
Abdul Samad
Arafat Minhas
Ahmed Daniyal
Sufiyan Muqeem
Akif Javed
Ali Raza

Very strong top 3
 
Good to see Sameer Minhas in the squad. And is Shamyl Hussain as captain a selction on merit, or is because of his dad?

For experience it's good with 5 ODs and 3 T20s, but from a spectator's point of view it should have been other way around.
Shamyl is there completely on merit. He has been a top performer last two seasons now.
 
Shahid Aziz???

They could have gone with Abdul Subhan instead of him.

Shaheens is for players who are close to the national team/have been on the national team before but are still young & emerging. Sameer Minhas is the only player in the entire squad who hasn't played domestic and that is because he is an exceptional talent who is being fast tracked.

Abdul Subhan showed he is an interesting prospect like Sayyam but their next step is doing well in domestic first before progressing further. Shahid Aziz is a good young talent himself who has shown really good performances in FC & T20's and could be a potential pace allrounder if his batting is developed. He was in the last Shaheen's squad too and the goal should be to maintain some sort of consistency in selection if you aim to develop players properly.

My only question would be where is Abbas Afridi and where has he disappeared to? A talented pace all-round prospect who hasn't played in months, he hasn't been playing in domestic, he is not part of Shaheen's either. I'd hope it's injuries and not him being completely discarded.

Other than that, it's a very good & strong squad. There is 5 openers in the squad. It will be interesting to see how they manage this.
 
Shahzaib is playing at 70sr in list A which is unacceptable.
Exact reason why data analytics and context is important when analyzing performances. Most fans and selectors just look at the top numbers and pass their verdicts. Shahzaib is as talented as his three peers (Saad, Shamyl and Azan) and deserves to be in the frame for selection. Coming back to his performance in the President's cup:

485 runs @ 80.83 and a strike rate of 74

Shahzaib and Sufiyan were the main reasons KRL lifted the trophy.

If you look at his numbers more closely you will not only see the reason for that strike rate but also understand that it was totally justified.

Match 1: chasing a low total of 129 Shahzaib anchored the innings with 59 of 80
Match 2: he failed (12 of 46) but so did the rest of team, bundled out for 40
Match 3: another failure 9 of 22
Match 4: again anchored a low chase with 69 of 91
Match 5: 87 of 107
Match 6: 52 of 72 - team collapsed in a chase of 200 as soon as Saad and Shahzaib were dismissed
Match 7: 134 of 143
Match 8: 10 of 13
Match 9 (final): again anchored a low tricky chase of 165 with 53 of 83 and was the player of the match

So the fact that he scored at 74 was not because he can't score faster but because the situations he batted in demanded that he bat like that. Also he was playing in a pretty brittle batting lineup which was heavily reliant on the openers (saad and shahzaib) and Iftikhar. The two innings where he didn't fail and his team batted first he made 221 of 250 balls. The main reason his strike rate was 74 and not 85 was because he anchored the chase for his team in three innings and made 12 in 46 in a game where his team collapsed to 40 all out.

It is arguable whether Saad and Shamyl's performances were better just because they had better strike rates but there are certainly players in this squad who have done a lot less than Shahzaib to get selected.
 
I really like this squad overall. Solid squad having talented players and I would say that all of them are on merit here..
 
Exact reason why data analytics and context is important when analyzing performances. Most fans and selectors just look at the top numbers and pass their verdicts. Shahzaib is as talented as his three peers (Saad, Shamyl and Azan) and deserves to be in the frame for selection. Coming back to his performance in the President's cup:

485 runs @ 80.83 and a strike rate of 74

Shahzaib and Sufiyan were the main reasons KRL lifted the trophy.

If you look at his numbers more closely you will not only see the reason for that strike rate but also understand that it was totally justified.

Match 1: chasing a low total of 129 Shahzaib anchored the innings with 59 of 80
Match 2: he failed (12 of 46) but so did the rest of team, bundled out for 40
Match 3: another failure 9 of 22
Match 4: again anchored a low chase with 69 of 91
Match 5: 87 of 107
Match 6: 52 of 72 - team collapsed in a chase of 200 as soon as Saad and Shahzaib were dismissed
Match 7: 134 of 143
Match 8: 10 of 13
Match 9 (final): again anchored a low tricky chase of 165 with 53 of 83 and was the player of the match

So the fact that he scored at 74 was not because he can't score faster but because the situations he batted in demanded that he bat like that. Also he was playing in a pretty brittle batting lineup which was heavily reliant on the openers (saad and shahzaib) and Iftikhar. The two innings where he didn't fail and his team batted first he made 221 of 250 balls. The main reason his strike rate was 74 and not 85 was because he anchored the chase for his team in three innings and made 12 in 46 in a game where his team collapsed to 40 all out.

It is arguable whether Saad and Shamyl's performances were better just because they had better strike rates but there are certainly players in this squad who have done a lot less than Shahzaib to get selected.
Sorry you can put it however you like but a sr of 74 in this day is beyond pathetic and in terms of talent and ability both Shamyl and Maaz are comfortably better then him him.

Shahzaib needs to play at a higher tempo. You can't be batting at with low 70s are that too in President cup which has far inferior bowlers to champions cup.
 
Excellent squad based on merit and potential..one player missing in this squad is Abdul Subhan. Boy is a serious talent probably better than Raza Ali
 
They should have scheduled some first class matches which would have rewarded some first class players such as Arshad Iqbal, Mohammad Musa (don’t think he’s very good), Ali Usman, Hasan Raza etc.

Too much focus on T20 from PCB.
 
Azan currently has a 28 AVG and 75 SR in List A with 0 centuries in 13 matches. Looks to be a great Test prospect but looks like another Imam ul Haq/Salman Butt type opener for ODI's. Azan & Shahzaib do not warrant a place on the squad.
 
A few thoughts on the squad.

I have no complaints, aside from Abbas Afridi’s exclusion. However, I fear it may be an injury issue, seeing as how Karachi have not retained him either.

Faisal Akram misses out because he’s now a part of the main Pakistan ODI squad.

Abdul Subhan has understandably not been picked, as he has little experience playing vs grown men.

It’s interesting that we’re only taking 7 specialist batsmen. I think this indicates a very stable batting lineup across the 8 games. It’ll be something like this:

Top 3: Shamyl, Maaz, Saad (most games)

Nos 5,6 : Hasan Nawaz, Abdul Samad

Sameer will play most games at no 4, except when Rohail Nazir comes in (for Saad), Sameer will move to 3, with Rohail at 4.

The team management may even try something new, like trying Saad Baig at 4.

We will see Arafat Minhas play almost every game as a no.7.

Muqueem and Saad Masood will both play most of the T20s, but will interchange for the ODis.

I expect to see Daniyal and Shahid Aziz play the first T20, but then the other quicks will be rotated in for these two and maybe Masood.

I feel that Ali Raza will get a majority of the ODIs . InshAllah I hope the boys do well, as this really is the best we have on our secondary bench.
 
Sorry you can put it however you like but a sr of 74 in this day is beyond pathetic and in terms of talent and ability both Shamyl and Maaz are comfortably better then him him.

Shahzaib needs to play at a higher tempo. You can't be batting at with low 70s are that too in President cup which has far inferior bowlers to champions cup.

As i said 74 on its own is meaningless. He anchored three chases where there was no need to score fast. S/R also took a hit because of an innings where the team collapsed. Remove/rationalize those and its a totally different story which suggests it was more a matter of circumstance than intent or ability.

I broke that down as simply and in as much detail as i could, can't do more. The scorecards are public and you can see them for yourself and the situations that he batted in but doubt that you want to because you have made up your mind based on a single figure. I see no point in arguing against lazy assumptions.
 
As i said 74 on its own is meaningless. He anchored three chases where there was no need to score fast. S/R also took a hit because of an innings where the team collapsed. Remove/rationalize those and its a totally different story which suggests it was more a matter of circumstance than intent or ability.

I broke that down as simply and in as much detail as i could, can't do more. The scorecards are public and you can see them for yourself and the situations that he batted in but doubt that you want to because you have made up your mind based on a single figure. I see no point in arguing against lazy assumptions.
I watched the most of the games thank you. It's your assumption that I am basing this on scorecards. By playing at such sr it only bring pressure on him and the team and hence one of the reason why he wasn't picked for the shaheens. As I mentioned in my previous post such sr are not acceptable anymore and frankly I wouldn't want anyone near shaheens team let alone Pakistan team with such sr.

He is young and definitely has potential but someone needs to tell him this sr won't get you anywhere. We are already suffering from selfish and low sr players and I wouldn't want another to join the list.
 
I watched the most of the games thank you. It's your assumption that I am basing this on scorecards. By playing at such sr it only bring pressure on him and the team and hence one of the reason why he wasn't picked for the shaheens. As I mentioned in my previous post such sr are not acceptable anymore and frankly I wouldn't want anyone near shaheens team let alone Pakistan team with such sr.

He is young and definitely has potential but someone needs to tell him this sr won't get you anywhere. We are already suffering from selfish and low sr players and I wouldn't want another to join the list.
Hes straight will be worse than Imaam ul Haq if he plays for pakistan shaheen any time soon.
 
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