By Staff Reporter
LAHORE: Hamza Zahoor made an unbeaten 100 from number seven to bring Pakistan Under-19 back from 61 for five and past India by three wickets in the ACC Men’s Under-19 Asia Cup in Muscat on Sunday.
Chasing 209 at the Al Amerat Cricket Ground, the defending champions reached the target in 48.1 overs, with 11 balls to spare. Zahoor, the wicketkeeper-batter, faced 108 balls, hit 10 fours and three sixes, and was named Player of the Match.
The result puts Pakistan top of Group A with four points from two games. India, who began with a 10-wicket win over Nepal, are second on two points with one win and one defeat.
Pakistan’s reply began badly. Jahangir Bilal, who had shared a 153-run opening stand with Usman Khan against the UAE on Friday, fell to Ishan Sood for five in the third over. Usman, unbeaten on 139 in that game, made 16 from 23 balls before Mohit Ulva dismissed him, having twice been put down. Abdul Qadir made 20 before Manal Chauhan removed him, leaving Pakistan 55 for three after 12.3 overs. Captain Farhan Yousaf then fell for two to Kavya Patel, and Chauhan bowled Ahmed Hussain out for eight, which made it 61 for five.
Zahoor and Hasnain Abbas Dar put on 107 for the sixth wicket. Zahoor reached his fifty in the 31st over and survived a close lbw appeal in the 35th, when the hundred stand came up. Dar made 38 from 67 balls before Chauhan returned to dismiss him, at 168 for six in the 38th over. Ulva then took Mohammad Sayyam for four, India’s seventh wicket, but Zahoor stayed to the end. He reached three figures, and won the match, with a drive past extra cover in the 49th over. India also conceded a pair of wides in the closing stages. Chauhan finished with three for 32 and Ulva with two for 45.
After reaching his hundred, Zahoor took a note from his pocket and held it up to the Pakistan supporters. It set out a target of 50 for the match, which he doubled.
India, who won the toss and batted, lost their captain, Lakshya Raichandani, for a duck to Ali Raza off the second ball. Raza also had VK Vineeth for eight and Rizwanullah removed Yashbardhan Chauhan for one, which left India 22 for three. Aaryavir Sehwag, the son of the former India batsman Virender, made 22 before Niqab Shafiq had him, and Anvay Dravid, son of Rahul, made 10, also to Shafiq.
India were 42 for four when Arjun Rajput began to rebuild, adding 44 with Dravid and 64 with Manal Chauhan. The right-hander made 107 from 85 balls, with 11 fours and five sixes, which was his first hundred in Youth One-Day Internationals. He fell to Rizwanullah with India on 170 for seven in the 36th over. The innings then slid to 195 for nine, and a last-wicket stand between Patel and Sood added 13 more. Sayyam ended it by dismissing Patel for 23, and India were all out for 208 in 46.3 overs.
Raza took three for 37, Rizwanullah three for 24 and Shafiq three for 42.
Raichandani said afterwards that “We were 20-30 runs short”, though he praised Rajput and Patel’s contributions.
The match was the first meeting between the sides since India won by 58 runs at the Under-19 World Cup in Bulawayo earlier this year. Pakistan won the most recent Asia Cup final, beating India by 191 runs last December. Raichandani did not shake hands with Yousaf at the toss, as the no-handshake practice between the sides continued at junior level.
Both teams have one group game left on Tuesday. Pakistan play Nepal on 10 November, and India face the UAE. The top two sides in the group go through to the semi-finals of a tournament that runs until 14 November.
Copyright © 2021 Independent Pakistan | All rights reserved
