Sameer Minhas smashed a blistering 113-ball 172, powering Pakistan to a thumping 191-run win over an out-of-sorts India to clinch the U19 Men’s Asia Cup title at the ICC Academy Ground on Sunday.
This victory marked India’s heaviest defeat in terms of runs in Youth ODIs, interrupting their unbeaten campaign so far. Pakistan captured the U19 Men’s Asia Cup trophy for the first time, having previously shared the title with India in the 2012 edition when the final ended in a tie.
Pakistan’s Dominance
Asked to bat first on a pitch conducive to great strokeplay, Pakistan clinically posted an imposing total of 347/8. Minhas, one of the standout batters in the competition, led the charge by hitting 17 fours and nine sixes. He shared partnerships of 92 with Usman Khan (35) and 137 with Ahmed Hussain (56), leaving the Indian bowling line-up, apart from spinner Khilan Patel, with a performance they would prefer to forget.
India managed to pull things back in the last 10 overs, ensuring Pakistan finished three runs short of the 350 mark.
India’s Faltering Chase
In response to the massive target, India started brightly, racing to 32 runs in the first two overs. However, the chase swiftly unraveled after skipper Ayush Mhatre fell cheaply in the third over.
Once Vaibhav Suryavanshi was dismissed for a quick 26 off 10 balls, the rest of the Indian batting line-up collapsed without showing any resolve. They stumbled to 68/5 by the end of the power-play, with batters succumbing to rash strokes on short balls. Despite Deepesh Devendran top-scoring with 36, India was bowled out for 156 in 26.2 overs, with Pakistan pacer Ali Raza taking impressive figures of 4-42.
Brief Scores:
- Pakistan U19: 347/8 in 50 overs (Sameer Minhas 172, Ahmed Hussain 56; Deepesh Devendran 3-83, Khilan Patel 2-44)
- Beat
- India U19: 156 all out in 26.2 overs (Deepesh Devendran 36, Vaibhav Suryavanshi 26; Ali Raza 4-42, Huzaifa Ahsan 2-12)
- By 191 runs.