Sameer Minhas 172 fuels Pakistan to 347/8, stuns India in U-19 Asia Cup final
Sameer Minhas 172 fuels Pakistan to 347/8, stuns India in U-19 Asia Cup final
Pakistan post 347/8 led by Sameer Minhas’s 172 as India are bowled out for 156, sealing a dramatic U-19 Asia Cup final in Dubai.
Dubai hosted the under-19 Asia Cup final, and Pakistan dominated with a big 347/8, led by Sameer Minhas's blistering 172 off 113 balls. The other bowlers - Ali Reza (4/42), Mohammad Sayyam (2/38) and Abdul Subhan (2/29) - tore into India's top order as the chase looked far from straightforward.
India's response began on a bright note, with Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Aaron George finding the boundary early and taking 21 runs in the first over. But the early momentum unravelled in the fourth and fifth overs. In the last ball of the fourth over, George pulled a short ball from Sayyam and edged to the keeper. In the first ball of the fifth, Suryavanshi fell to a measured yorker, and India slipped to 49/3 as Pakistan celebrated the turning point.
Vedant Trivedi and Kanishk Chouhan tried to steady the innings, but the mid- and lower-order collapsed to the tight Pakistan lines, with snorters causing several wickets. A dropped chance on 12 by Abhigyan Kundu kept India alive briefly before the innings dissolved into a chase that never gathered momentum.
India were all out for 156 in 26.2 overs, handing Pakistan a comprehensive 191-run win and the U-19 Asia Cup title. The win marked Pakistan's second U-19 Asia Cup trophy and added another chapter to a rivalry that's intense on the field; reports hinted at a heated moment after captain Ayush Mhatre's early dismissal. The Pakistan pace trio delivered, and Minhas's innings turned the final on its head, with fans in Dubai celebrating a memorable performance.
