In semi-finals on Thursday Green-shirts face Bangladesh, India lock horns with Afghanistan
Pakistan maintained their unbeaten run in the ACC Men’s Under-19 Asia Cup with a huge 101-run victory over Nepal in their final Group A match on Tuesday at the Al Amerat Cricket Ground in Oman.
The defending champions posted 275-7 in their allotted 50 overs before bowling Nepal out for 174 in 43.4 overs to register a comprehensive win. Pakistan had already secured their place in the semi-finals.
Ahmed Hussain starred with both bat and ball, scoring a brilliant 89 before claiming four wickets for 35 runs. Mohammad Sayyam and Mohammad Huzaifa picked up two wickets apiece to complete the victory.
Chasing 276, Nepal struggled to establish partnerships. Rohit Chand top-scored 37 off 54 balls, while opener Niraj Kumar Yadav contributed 29 from 59 deliveries. Suryanshu Koirala added 22, but Nepal failed to keep pace with the required run rate.
Abhay Yadav offered some late resistance with a quick-fire 23 off 16 balls, including three fours and a six, but the target remained beyond Nepal’s reach.
Earlier, Pakistan recovered from early setback through a match-defining 135-run partnership between captain Farhan Yousaf and Ahmed Hussain.
After openers Usman Khan (19) and Jahangir Bilal (22) provided a 45-run start, Nepal fought back through Bipin Sharma and Sachin Bhatt, reducing Pakistan to 57-2. Bipin then dismissed Abdul Qadir for six, leaving the defending champions under pressure.
Farhan and Ahmed steadied the innings before accelerating to put Pakistan in control. Farhan scored 74 off 95 balls, hitting six fours and three sixes, while Ahmed produced an impressive 89 off 73 deliveries, including seven fours and two sixes.
Hasnain Abbas Dar added a useful 25 off 23 balls, helping Pakistan push their total to 275-7. Bipin was Nepal’s leading bowler with three wickets for 58 runs.
With an unbeaten group-stage record and a semi-final place secured, Pakistan will now focus on defending their continental title.
Meanwhile in the same group India Under-19 secured a convincing 70-run victory over the United Arab Emirates to qualify for the last four.
Batting first, India posted 309-7, powered by Aaryavir Sehwag’s brilliant 160 off 168 balls and VK Vineeth’s 67. In reply, UAE managed 239 in 50 overs, with Ahmed Khudadad scoring 74. Ishan Sood starred with four wickets for India.
Semi-finals (Nov12)
Pakistan v Bangladesh, India v Afghanistan