Pakistan Shaheens squad for Rising Stars Asia Cup 2026: Abdul Samad captain, Maaz Sadaqat and Hasan Nawaz in

The PCB has named Abdul Samad as captain of Pakistan Shaheens for the ACC Men's Asia Cup Rising Stars 2026, a 50-over tournament in Qatar from 19 to 29 November. Batters Maaz Sadaqat and Hasan Nawaz are the headline names in a 15-man squad, Dawn reported.

Pakistan Shaheens squad

• Captain: Abdul Samad
• Batters: Maaz Sadaqat, Hasan Nawaz, Haider Ali, Shahzaib Khan, Farhan Yousuf, Shamyl Hussain
• Wicketkeeper: Rohail Nazir
• Spin: Danish Aziz (left-arm all-rounder), Saad Masood (leg-spinner), Sufyan Moqim
• Pace: Mohammad Hasnain, Ahmed Daniyal, Akif Javed, Muhammad Imran Randhawa

The squad mixes players who have already appeared for Pakistan, such as Haider Ali, Mohammad Hasnain, Sufyan Moqim and Hasan Nawaz, with younger domestic performers pushing for a senior call.

Pakistan's fixtures and groups

Pakistan Shaheens are in Group B with India A, Nepal and the UAE. Group A has Afghanistan A, Bangladesh A, Hong Kong China and Sri Lanka A.

The tournament opens on 19 November. The semi-finals are on 26 and 27 November and the final on 29 November. Qatar is two hours behind Pakistan, so a match starting at 2pm in Doha begins at 4pm PKT.

Why it matters

The Rising Stars event is the main way the PCB tests fringe players in 50-over cricket against other Asian A sides, and the India A match on 22 November will draw the biggest audience of the group stage.

For the senior side's schedule, see the Asia Cup page.