Pakistan edged out India by two wickets in a last-ball thriller in the U-19 Asia Cup in Dubai on Saturday. Pakistan rode on a stroke-filled 81 by one-down Muhammad Shehzad and a late cameo by Ahmad Khan (29 not out) to chase down a target of 238.
Alhamdulillah. 2 out of 2 for Pakistan, an ideal start to the #U19AsiaCup campaign. Well done boys keep going with the same energy and positive mindset pic.twitter.com/tHM4IukqSt— Ahmad Shahzad (@iamAhmadshahzad) December 25, 2021
Ahmad hit Ravi Kumar for a boundary in the game’s final delivery to seal the game for his side. Earlier in the day, the Pakistan U-19 bowlers, led by right-arm medium pacer Zeeshan Zameer (5/60), wreaked havoc as they bundled out the opposition for a sub-par 237.
#pakvIndAsiaCupUnder19 Congrats young guns. Played a tremendous game and held your nerve to beat India.#PakistanZindabad— Ramiz Raja (@iramizraja) December 25, 2021
India lost opener Angkrish Raghuvanshi (0), Shaik Rasheed (6) and skipper Yash Dhull (0) cheaply, with Zameer accounting for all the wickets to leave the batting side reeling at 14/3. Nishant Sindhu (8) became Awais Ali’s first victim as India slipped to 41/4.
Congratulation u19 Pakistan team #AsiaCupU19— Bilawal bhatti (@007Bilawal) December 25, 2021
Harnoor made a patient 59-ball 46, striking six boundaries. When it looked like he would score big, Ali dismissed him in the 19th over to leave India at 96/5. However, wicket-keeper Aaradhya Yadav’s 83-ball 50, in which he hit three fours, coupled with Kaushal Tambe’s 32 and Rajvardhan Hangargekar’s brisk 33 off 20 balls, took India past the 230-run mark.
Chasing 238, Pakistan lost opener Abdul Wahid (0) early as Hangargekar castled him. Then, Maaz Sadaqat (29) and Shehzad (81) rallied the innings with a 64-run stand for the second wicket. Shehzad, who hammered four boundaries and five towering sixes, was in belligerent mood as Sadaqat played second fiddle. Left-arm medium pacer Raj Bawa (4/56) broke the stand by removing Sadaqat.
Mubarak to the entire Pakistan U19 squad on securing yet another victory in the #U19AsiaCup. Well done on the brilliant display of all-round cricket in the #PAKvIND today. #PakistanZindabad — Imad Wasim (@simadwasim) December 25, 2021
Well done and congrats to our U19 team on winning their 2nd match of the Asia Cup. Great win against India #PakistanZindabad pic.twitter.com/gmWpuOoqax— Imam Ul Haq (@ImamUlHaq12) December 25, 2021
The winning moment Ahmed hits Ravi for FOUR off the last ball to seal the deal for vs at the ICC Academy in Dubai
Video courtesy: @Aliwala72 #U19AsiaCup pic.twitter.com/xeCmuV70s4
— Farid Khan (@_FaridKhan) December 25, 2021
Congratulations to our U19 future stars on securing their 2nd victory in the #U19AsiaCup. A #PAKvIND win is always special, keep going boys pic.twitter.com/YBVui809CH— Fawad Alam (@iamfawadalam25) December 25, 2021
Great display of quality cricket by our young men Well done to everyone involved on another victory in the #U19AsiaCup. Well played#PakVsInd pic.twitter.com/JZUgUhgVcC— Sohail Tanveer (@sohailmalik614) December 25, 2021
Good job boys, back to back victories in any tournament is always a confidence booster. Best of luck for the upcoming matches, praying for your success IA✌#U19AsiaCup pic.twitter.com/6Uw8iddeZn— Wahab Riaz (@WahabViki) December 25, 2021
Alhamdulillah. 2 out of 2 for Pakistan, an ideal start to the #U19AsiaCup campaign. Well done boys keep going with the same energy and positive mindset pic.twitter.com/tHM4IukqSt— Ahmad Shahzad (@iamAhmadshahzad) December 25, 2021
Bawa struck again by dismissing Haseebullah (3) as Pakistan slipped to 69/3. Skipper Qasim Akram (22) also fell cheaply as Pakistan found themselves in a spot of bother at 115/4, even as Shehzad continued to tore apart the opposition attack. Hangargekar ran out Shehzad in the 37th over to bring India back into the contention as Pakistan lost half its side for 159.
However, Irfan Khan (32) and Rizwan Mehmood (29) took the game deep by adding 47 runs for the sixth wicket. Then, Bawa pegged back Pakistan by removing Mehmood and Irfan Khan, but a composed Ahmad Khan, who hammered three boundaries and a six, completed the job for his team.
(With agencies)
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