Pakistan Lifts U-19 Asia Cup With a Mammoth, Stunning Whirlwind 172 by Sameer Minhas

Pakistan Lifts U-19 Asia Cup With a Mammoth, Stunning Whirlwind 172 by Sameer Minhas

In a huge surprise, the India Under-19 team was overpowered by Pakistan’s stunning display, which helped them clinch the Under-19 Asia Cup title at the ICC Academy Ground in Dubai.

After opting to bat first, Pakistan posted a mammoth total of 347 runs on the board, powered by the whirlwind 172 runs from Sameer Minhas, who cleared the ropes nine times.

Though Pakistan lost an early wicket, it did not impact Sameer Minhas, who whitewashed the Indian bowlers with his heroic cricketing shots. Sameer reached the three-figure mark off just 71 balls.

The huge 137-run partnership forged by Sameer Minhas with Ahmed Hussain rattled the Indian classy bowlers, who looked totally off-colour.

As India looked to chase the target for silverware, their hopes were quickly squashed after Ayush Mhatre fell to Ali Raza, followed by the dismissal of Suryavanshi, which pushed India to 49/3.

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As wickets kept tumbling at regular intervals, Pakistan did not leave any iota of scope for a comeback by India.

Ali Raza completed a four-wicket haul to hand Pakistan the title, followed by two wickets each from Abdul Subhan, Mohammad Sayyam, and Huzaifa Ahsan.

Sameer Minhas was declared Man of the Match as well as Man of the Series. At the end, he said, “It was a good innings by me. I only had in mind to score runs for the team. There was no such pressure for me; I only wanted to play my natural game and did so. We wanted to bat first because it was like a batting track. Very memorable for me.”

Farhan Yousaf, the Pakistani captain, during the ceremony said, “We were happy we lost the toss. Our plan was the same—to bat first. Sameer Minhas played very well in the last two matches. Not disappointed; it was a very good total, 348. The boys collectively performed, very happy. We lost the first match against India, but the management and support staff kept team morale high and backed us.”

This was a thumping win for Pakistan, as it was their first outright title in the Men’s U-19 Asia Cup. Earlier, they emerged as joint winners with India in 2013.