The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced the schedule for the warm-up matches of the Champions Trophy, slated to begin on February 19. The matches will be played between February 14 to 17 and interestingly, India, Australia and England won’t be playing any of these warm-up games. The Men in Blue will travel to Dubai on February 15 to begin their preparation for the tournament, while England and Australia are expected to reach on the 19th and 20th of the month.
The first warm-up game will be played on February 14 as Afghanistan will play Pakistan Shaheens at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. On February 16, New Zealand will be hosting Afghanistan at the National Stadium in Karachi. On the following day, Pakistan Shaheens will be playing South Africa in Karachi, while another team of Pakistan Shaheens will be competing against Bangladesh in Dubai.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) named three separate Pakistan Shaheen squads for the warm-up fixtures. All-rounder Shadab Khan, who isn’t part of the Champions Trophy squad, will be leading the team against Afghanistan, while Mohammad Huraira and Mohammad Haris will be leading the other two matches. None of the Pakistan squad members will feature in these warm-up games.
Champions Trophy squads:
Afghanistan squad: Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Sediqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah, Ikram Alikhil, Gulbadin Naib, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Nangyal Kharoti, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Farid Malik, Naveed Zadran. Reserves: Darwish Rasooli, Bilal
Sami
Bangladesh squad: Nazmul Hossain Shanto (c), Soumya Sarkar, Tanzid Hasan, Tawhid Hridoy, Mushfiqur Rahim, MD Mahmud Ullah, Jaker Ali Anik, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Rishad Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Parvez Hossai Emon, Nasum Ahmed, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Nahid Rana.
South Africa squad: Temba Bavuma (c), Tony de Zorzi, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tabraiz Shamsi, Tristan Stubbs, Rassie van der Dussen, Corbin Bosch. Travelling reserve: Kwena Maphaka
New Zealand squad: Mitchell Santner (c), Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Will O’Rourke, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Ben Sears, Nathan Smith, Kane Williamson, Will Young.
Shaheens squads:
v Afghanistan, Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore - Shadab Khan (captain), Abdul Faseeh, Arafat Minhas, Hussain Talat, Jahandad Khan, Kashif Ali, Mohsin Riaz, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Amir Khan, Muhammad Akhlaq, Muhammad Imran Randhawa and Muhammad Irfan Khan
v South Africa, National Stadium, Karachi - Mohammad Huraira (captain), Amad Butt, Faisal Akram, Hassan Nawaz, Imam-ul-Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Maaz Sadaqat, Mehran Mumtaz, Muhammad Ghazi Ghori, Niaz Khan, Qasim Akram, and Saad Khan
v Bangladesh, ICC Academy, Dubai - Mohammad Haris (captain), Aamir Jamal, Abdul Samad, Ali Raza, Azan Awais, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Mubasir Khan, Musa Khan, Omair Bin Yousuf, Sahibzada Farhan, Sufiyan Moqim and Usama Mir