In the U-19 Asia Cup, Pakistan defeated India by two wickets in a thrilling final ball match on Saturday.
Muhammad Shehzad’s 81 run and Ahmed Khan’s (29 not out) cameo came as Pakistan chased down a target of 238 against India. In the last ball of the match, Ahmed hit a boundary to Ravi Kumar to give Pakistan the victory.
In the first innings, Pakistan U-19 bowlers led by right-arm medium pacer Zeeshan Zameer (5/60) managed to stop India’s U-19 team at 237.
Nishant Sindhu was Awais Ali’s first victim for 8 runs, after which India lost four wickets for just 41 runs. Harnoor hit six fours in 59 balls and scored 46 runs. While he was trying to make a big score, Awais Ali bowled him out in the 19th over to give India a fifth wicket.
However, wicketkeeper Aradhya Yadav’s 50 off 83 balls in which he struck three fours, Kaushal Tambe’s 32 and Rajvardhan Hangargekar’s 33 off 20 balls took India to 230 runs.
Pakistan’s run chase
Chasing a target of 238, Pakistan were shocked at the start when Hangergekar was dismissed by opener Abdul Bangalzai in 0 run. After that, Maaz Sadaquat (29) and Shehzad (81) shared 64 runs for the second wicket to lead the innings.
Shehzad and Sadaqat, who hit four fours and five sixes, appeared in an aggressive mood while playing on the other side. Left-arm medium pacer Raj Bawa (4/56) broke the partnership by dismissing Sadaqat.
Pakistan were in 69/3 when Bawa dismissed Haseebullah (3). Captain Qasim Akram (22) was also dismissed cheaply. In the 37th over, Hangargekar got Shehzad out and brought India back into the game. Half of Pakistan’s team returned to the pavilion for 159 runs.
However, Irfan Khan (32) and Rizwan Mahmood (29) added 47 runs for the sixth wicket to turn the game in Pakistan’s favour. Bawa then dismissed Mahmood and Irfan Khan, but Ahmed Khan, who hit three fours and sixes, completed the work of his team.
