Saad Baig Archives

Karachi Kings make two changes to squad for PSL 10

Karachi Kings have announced two key squad changes for their Pakistan Super League (PSL) 10 campaign, bringing in Australia’s Ben McDermott and national U19 captain Saad Baig.

McDermott comes in for Bangladesh’s Litton Das, who has been ruled out of the tournament after picking up an injury during training ahead of Karachi’s opening match.

Das suffered a painful injury to his right thumb. Following the incident, he underwent detailed scans that revealed a hairline fracture. He was picked by the Karachi Kings as their second pick in the silver category during the PSL 10 Draft.

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A seasoned campaigner in the shortest format, McDermott adds firepower to the Kings’ batting unit.

The Australian wicketkeeper-batter brings a wealth of T20 experience with him, having plied his trade in the Big Bash League (BBL), The Hundred, and other T20 leagues around the globe.

Meanwhile, Saad Baig has been added to the squad as a partial replacement for New Zealand’s Kane Williamson, who is unavailable for the Karachi leg of the tournament.

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Baig, who captained Pakistan in the ICC U19 World Cup earlier this year, had already been part of the Kings’ setup last season in the Emerging Category.

His return reflects the franchise’s continued faith in local talent, with the young wicketkeeper-batter touted as one of Pakistan’s most exciting future prospects.

Karachi Kings will start their PSL 10 campaign today, facing Multan Sultans at their home ground, the National Bank Stadium.

Karachi Kings squad for PSL 10

David Warner (captain), Abbas Afridi, Adam Milne, James Vince, Hasan Ali, Khushdil Shah, Shan Masood, Mohammad Irfan Khan, Aamir Jamal, Arafat Minhas, Tim Seifert, Zahid Mahmood, Mir Hamza, Fawad Ali, Riazullah, Omair Bin Yousuf, Kane Williamson, Mohammad Nabi, Saad Baig, Ben McDermott and Mirza Mamoon.

READ: Colin Munro surpasses Rilee Rossouw’s PSL record

“I want to lead like him”: Pakistan U19 skipper inspired by Sarfaraz Ahmed’s captaincy

Pakistan under-19 captain Saad Baig has recently revealed his deep admiration for former all-format captain Sarfaraz Ahmed.

During a recent interview with a local sports outlet, Baig opened up about his journey and experience of leading the side to the semi-finals of the ICC U19 World Cup 2023.

“I started with tape ball cricket. Then my father got me admitted to Custom Cricket Academy. That’s where my journey began,” Baig said.

“I played U13, then U16, and after performing for three years there, I performed in the PJL. After consistently performing, PCB announced me as a captain. I represented Pakistan in the World Cup as a captain and also in the Asia Cup. So, thank God, the journey has been very good so far.”

Saad Baig also reflected on the role of captain in cricket, emphasizing on the handling the pressure as a leader.

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“As a captain, there is pressure on you. But how you lead your team under that pressure is a very important role. The journey of the U19 World Cup was very good; we showed good performances,” he added.

Prior to the U19 World Cup, Baig approached Sarfaraz Ahmed for advice. Baig disclosed that Sarfaraz provided him with valuable guidance, expressing his aspiration to emulate Sarfaraz’s strong leadership as a captain.

“Before going to the World Cup, I had a conversation with Saifi Bhai [Sarfaraz Ahmed]. He told me how he played during his World Cup journey and gave me tips because he was also a captain,” shared Baig.

“I learned a lot from him; he always backs me. After the World Cup, he taught me a lot and gave me advice. So, as a captain, I like him very much. I like a bit of aggressiveness on the field, which he has, and I also want to be a captain like him and lead my team to victory.”

For the unversed, Sarfaraz led Pakistan to the U19 World Cup victory in 2006, by defeating arch-rivals India in the final.

READ: Waqar Younis set to get a major position in PCB: sources

Karachi Kings include Zahid Mehmood as full replacement for injured Saad Baig

ISLAMABAD: Karachi Kings included leg-spinner Zahid Mehmood in their PSL 9 squad as a full replacement for wicketkeeper batter Saad Baig.

Baig suffered a groin strain and has been advised to go through rehab by the medical panel.

The rehabilitation process of the young wicketkeeper has been started, owing to the medical panel’s advice that without complete rehab, there is a risk of this injury getting worse.

Saad Baig will remain with the Karachi Kings squad and continue his rehab process.

Meanwhile, Zahid Mehmood, who was included in Karachi Kings’ squad for the PSL 9 as a partial replacement initially, will now replace Baig in the squad for the complete season.

Mehmood has played two games for Karachi Kings and picked two wickets in the ongoing season.

Karachi Kings are currently sitting in the fifth position in the points table with four points in five matches after their 20-run defeat against leaders Multan Sultans at the iconic National Bank Stadium yesterday.

The 20-run victory meant Multan Sultans became the first team to qualify for the Playoffs in the ongoing ninth edition of the marquee league.

Chasing a mammoth 190, the Kings could accumulate 169 for the loss of seven wickets in the allotted 20 overs.

The home side got off to an unwanted start to the pursuit as they lost two wickets — Tim Seifert (1) and James Vince (7) — inside the batting powerplay with just 28 runs on the board.

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Following the slump, skipper Shan Masood partnered with Shoaib Malik to anchor the run chase briefly.

The pair batted sensibly and added 53 runs for the third wicket before Usama Mir dismissed Masood in the 10th over to dent Kings’ recovery.

Masood scored an anchoring 36 off 29 deliveries, hitting five boundaries.

Malik then put together a brief partnership with Leus du Plooy (12) before both fell in successive overs, resulting in the Kings slipping to 99/5 in 13 overs.

Veteran all-rounder Malik top-scored for the Kings with a 28-ball 38 which featured five boundaries.

The Kings then lost another wicket in the 17th over when Muhammad Irfan Khan returned after scoring a 19-ball 23.

Hasan Ali and Mohammad Nawaz offered valuable resistance in the death over with a brilliant 41-run partnership which lasted on the penultimate delivery but the Kings fell short of tasting their third victory in the PSL 9.

Hasan scored a brisk 17 off eight deliveries while Nawaz remained unbeaten with a 17-ball 27, featuring three boundaries and a six.

For the Sultans, Usama Mir bagged two wickets while David Willey, Chris Jordan, Khushdil Shah and Mohammad Ali struck out a batter apiece.

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PCB unveils Pakistan U19 squad for Sri Lanka series

Saad Baig will continue to lead Pakistan U19 against Sri Lanka U19 in the home series set to be played in Karachi. The two sides will compete in a solitary four-day match followed by a series of five 50-over matches.

The recently appointed seven-member junior selection committee headed by Inzamam-ul-Haq has selected the 16-member Pakistan U19 squad for the four-day match. The match is scheduled to take place from 15 to 18 October.

The squad for the one-day series will be announced later next week. The one-day series will be held at the same venue – National Bank Stadium, Karachi – from 22 to 31 October.

Saad Baig, who captained Pakistan U19 on the tour to Bangladesh earlier this year, will have the services of eight players who were part of the playing XI in the only four-day match on the tour.

The list includes Ali Asfand, Amir Hassan, Arafat Minhas, Azan Awais, Mohammad Ibtisam, Mohammad Ismail, Shahzaib Khan and Wahaj Riaz.

Six of the remaining seven players part of the 16-member squad have notably excelled in the ongoing National U19 Championship 2023-24.

These are Ahmed Hussain (Peshawar U19, three matches, 19 wickets), Hamza Nawaz (Bahawalpur U19, three matches, 280 runs, 1×100, 2x50s), Huzaifa Ayub (Bahawalpur U19, three matches, 15 wickets, one five-fer), Mohammad Zubair (Peshawar U19, three matches, 236 runs, 1×100, 1×50), Naveed Ahmed Khan (Karachi Whites U19, three matches, 20 wickets, one five-fer) and Shahmeer Ali (Rawalpindi U19, three matches, 244 runs, 1×100, 1×50) have performed well in the ongoing National U19 Championship 2023-24. Meanwhile, the seventh player Aimal Khan is currently representing the FATA Region in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2023-24, where the right-arm fast bowler has taken six wickets in two outings.

Pakistan’s squad will assemble in the team hotel on Tuesday night and will train at the National Bank Stadium in Karachi on the following two days.

The team management and training schedule will be announced in due course.

Pakistan U19 Squad: Saad Baig (captain and wicket-keeper), Ahmed Hussain, Aimal Khan, Ali Asfand, Amir Hassan, Arafat Minhas, Azan Awais, Hamza Nawaz, Huzaifa Ayub, Mohammad Ibtisam, Mohammad Ismail, Mohammad Zubair, Naveed Ahmed Khan, Shahmeer Ali, Shahzaib Khan and Wahaj Riaz

Series schedule:

15-18 October – Four-day match

22 October – First One-Day
24 October – Second One-Day
27 October – Third One-Day
29 October – Fourth One-Day
31 October – Fifth One-Day

READ: Inzamam-ul-Haq to head Pakistan’s senior and junior selection committees

PCB reveals Pakistan U19, Shaheens squads for away tours

LAHORE: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Sunday named the squads of Pakistan U19 and Pakistan Shaheens for the upcoming tours of Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, respectively.

Saad Baig and Imran Butt were named captains of Pakistan U19 and Pakistan Shaheens respectively.

Karachi-born Saad had captained Pakistan U19 last year against Bangladesh U19 in Multan. In that series, he had scored 117 runs in the four-dayer, 30 runs in the one-day matches and 107 runs in the T20s. In the National U19 three-day Championship 2022-23, the left-hander had scored 200 runs, while in the National U19 one-day Cup 2022-23, he scored 299 runs in four matches.

Ali Asfand of Faisalabad had also featured against Bangladesh in the U19 series last year. He scored 45 runs and took two wickets with his left-arm spinner in the four-dayer, contributed 26 runs and took two wickets in the one-dayers and claimed three wickets in the only T20. In the National U19 three-day Championship 2022-23, Ali scored 73 runs and took 18 wickets, while in the National U19 one-day Cup 2022-23, he scored 77 runs and took 11 wickets.

Players born on or after 1 September 2004 were eligible for selection in the Bangladesh-bound squad.

Pakistan Shaheens for the tour of Zimbabwe comprise seven players who have represented Pakistan in international cricket. Imran Butt, who has been named as captain, has featured in six Tests, while the others are: Hussain Talat (one ODI, 18 T20Is), Aamir Jamal (tw0 T20Is), Kamran Ghulam (one ODI), Mir Hamza (three Tests), Sahibzada Farhan (three T20Is) and Shahnawaz Dahani (two ODIs and 11 T20Is).

For the first time, two players from Quetta have been selected in a national squad. They are Abdul Wahid Bangalzai and Haseebullah, while players who have graduated from the U19 pathways cricket and are in the side are Mehran Mumtaz, Mohammad Huraira, Mubasir Khan, Qasim Akram and Rohail Nazir.

Details of the training camps will be announced in due course.

Pakistan U19: Saad Baig (captain) (Karachi), Ali Asfand (vice-captain) (Faisalabad), Ahmed Hussain (Peshawar), Aimal Khan (Peshawar), Amir Hussain (Rawalpindi), Arafat Minhas (Multan), Azan Awais (Sialkot), Hamza Nawaz (Lahore), Mohammad Ibtisam (Sargodha), Mohammad Ismail (Sahiwal), Mohammad Tahir (Fata), Mohammad Tayyab Arif (Sialkot), Obaid Shahid (Lahore), Sajjad Ali (Lahore), Shahzaib Khan (Mansehra), Shamyl Hussain (Islamabad) and Wahaj Riaz (Karachi). Abidullah (Islamabad), Ikramullah Tareen (Quetta) and Muhammad Zulkifal (Charsadda) (all reserves)

Tour Schedule:

30 April- 3 May – Four-day match; ZACS, Chattogram

6 May – 1^st 50-over match; ZACS, Chattogram

8 May – 2^nd 50-over match; ZACS, Chattogram

11 May – 3^rd 50-over match; SKS, Rajshahi

13 May – 4^th 50-over match; SKS, Rajshahi

15 May – 5^th 50-over match; SKS, Rajshahi

17 May – Only T20 match; SKS, Rajshahi

Pakistan Shaheens: Imran Butt (captain) (Lahore), Hussain Talat (vice-captain) (Lahore), Aamir Jamal (Islamabad), Abdul Wahid Bangalzai (Quetta), Haseebullah (Quetta), Kamran Ghulam (Peshawar), Mehran Mumtaz (Rawalpindi), Mir Hamza (Karachi), Mohammad Huraira (Sialkot), Mubasir Khan (Islamabad), Muhammad Umar (Karachi), Omair Bin Yousuf (Karachi), Qasim Akram (Lahore), Rohail Nazir (wicketkeeper) (Islamabad), Sahibzada Farhan (Peshawar) and Shahnawaz Dahani (Larkana). Asif Mehmood (Hyderabad), Athar Mehmood (Gujranwala), Saad Khan (Hyderabad) and Waqar Ahmad (Peshawar) (all reserves)

Tour schedule:

3-6 May – 1^stFour-day match; KSC, Kwekwe

10- 13 May – 2^nd Four-day match; MSC, Mutare

17 May – 1^st 50-over match; TSC, Harare

19 May – 2^nd 50-over match; HSC, Harare

21 May – 3^rd 50-over match; HSC, Harare

23 May – 4^th 50-over match; OH, Harare

25 May – 5^th 50-over match; HSC, Harare

27 May – 6^th 50-over match; HSC, Harare

READ: Shaheen leads PSL 8 Team of the Tournament