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Pakistan U19 Beat Nepal by 101 Runs to Reach Asia Cup SemisSports
Ahmed Hussain starred with bat and ball as Pakistan posted 275 for 7 and bowled Nepal out for 174, completing a perfect group stage and setting up a semi-final against Bangladesh on Thursday.
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Ahmed Hussain produced a superb all-round performance as defending champions Pakistan Under-19 completed a perfect group stage at the ACC Men’s U19 Asia Cup, beating Nepal by 101 runs at the Al Amerat Cricket Ground in Oman on Tuesday.
It was Pakistan’s third win in three matches, and the comfortable victory carried them to the top of Group A and into the semi-finals, where they will face Bangladesh in the first semi-final on Thursday, 12 November.
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Put in to bat first, Pakistan recovered from 64 for three to post 275 for seven in their 50 overs. Left-handed batter Ahmed Hussain led the way with a brisk 89 from 73 balls, striking seven fours and two sixes, while captain Farhan Yousaf contributed a valuable 74 from 95 balls, including six fours and three sixes.
The pair added 135 runs for the fourth wicket to rebuild the innings, and Hasnain Abbas Dar provided a late flourish with 25 from 23 balls. For Nepal, Bipin Sharma was the pick of the bowlers with three wickets for 58 runs.
Nepal’s reply never gathered momentum. The young side was bowled out for 174 in 43.4 overs, with Rohit Chand top-scoring on 37 and Niraj Kumar Yadav adding 29.
Ahmed completed his fine day with the ball, taking four wickets for 35 runs in his 10 overs. Mohammad Huzaifa and Mohammad Sayyam took two wickets each, with Sayyam conceding 27 runs, as Pakistan wrapped up the win with more than six overs to spare.
Ahmed was named player of the match for his 89 runs and four wickets, underlining his growing importance to a Pakistan side that has now won in three different ways in this tournament.
Pakistan began their campaign with a nine-wicket win over the UAE, in which Usman Khan scored an unbeaten 139, and then edged a tense three-wicket victory over India thanks to Hamza Zahoor’s unbeaten century. The win over Nepal was their most comfortable of the three.
The semi-final line-up was completed later on Tuesday when India beat the UAE by 70 runs. India will meet Afghanistan, the Group B winners, in the second semi-final on the same day, with the final scheduled for Saturday, 14 November.
Pakistan lifted the trophy in the last edition of the tournament in Dubai, beating India by 191 runs in the final, and their unbeaten run in Oman has kept them firmly on course to defend the title.
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