Pakistan secured a clinical 44-run victory over India in Match 3 of the U19 Asia Cup on Saturday, November 30. The arch-rivals took on each other at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
The Men in Green batted first and got off to a cautious start against Indian pacers who looked in rhythm. However, the sixth over saw Shahzaib Khan slamming a terrific six over the bowler’s head to infuse confidence into their partnership. After the 10-over mark, the fielding restrictions lifted and runs started to flow for Pakistan.
The Indian spinners failed to put the brakes on the openers as they found the meat of the bat to score consistent boundaries. In particular, Shahzaib slammed two sixes off Mohamed Enaan’s first over. The right-arm spinner came for another over and went on to concede 34 runs off his 12 balls.
Ayush Mhatre finally broke the 160-run opening stand by dismissing Usman Khan (60) in the 31st over. However, Shahzaib continued to steer the team with his positive mindset, with Muhammad Riazullah (27) serving as a fine support.
Shahzaib went on to slam 159 off 147, with five fours and 10 sixes, as Pakistan posted a strong total of 281. Samarth Nagaraj was the pick of the bowlers for the Men in Blue with three scalps.
Collective bowling effort sees Pakistan defend their total easily
In response to a chase of 282, Ayush Mhatre started out well for India by slamming four boundaries off the first two overs. However, Abdul Subhan induced the edge of right-hander to get him caught to the keeper to send him packing for 20 off 14.
Soon, Ali Raza also caught the outside edge of Vaibhav Suryavanshi (1), who is now the youngest cricketer to secure an IPL contract.
Although, C Andre Siddarth (15) and captain Mohamed Amaan (16) were building a solid stand, they were dismissed as well, which reduced India to 81/4 in the 21st over.
Coming at No. 5, Nikhil Kumar started out on a slow note. However, the southpaw struck the chord after facing 20-odd balls. With his lusty blows, he tried to keep India still in the hunt. Although, Kiran Chormale (20) and Harvansh Pangalia (26) showed promise, they soon gave away their wickets as well.
Nikhil emerged as the top contributor for India with a 67-run knock off 77 balls, with six fours and three sixes. In the end, India were all-out for 238. Raza picked three wickets, while Subhan and Faham-ul-Haq bagged two wickets each for Pakistan’s impressive 43-run victory.
FAQs
Who won the last edition of U19 Asia Cup?
Bangladesh
Who has won the U19 Asia Cup most times?
India – 7 times
