Pakistan U19 beat Nepal by 101 runs to reach Asia Cup semi-final

MUSCAT: Pakistan U19 beat Nepal U19 by 101 runs to book a place in the semi-final of the ACC Men’s U19 Asia Cup. The defending champions completed an unbeaten Group A campaign at the Al Amerat Cricket Ground in Muscat on Tuesday, winning all three of their group matches and finishing top of the group. They will now face Bangladesh in the first semi-final on Thursday.

Put in to bat first, Pakistan posted 275 for 7 in their 50 overs. At one stage they had slipped to 64 for 3, but Ahmed Hussain and captain Farhan Yousaf steadied the innings with a 135-run stand for the fourth wicket. Ahmed top-scored with a brisk 89 off 73 balls, hitting seven fours and two sixes, while Farhan contributed 74 off 95 balls, including six fours and three sixes. Hasnain Abbas Dar provided late impetus with a quick-fire 25 off 23 balls. For Nepal, Bipin Sharma took three wickets for 58 runs.

Ahmed stars with bat and ball
Chasing 276, Nepal were bowled out for 174 in 43.4 overs. Ahmed completed an impressive all-round performance, claiming four wickets for 35 runs in his 10 overs. Mohammad Huzaifa and Mohammad Sayyam took two wickets each, and Rohit Chand was Nepal’s top scorer with 37.

Semi-final line-up
Pakistan will meet Bangladesh in the first semi-final on Thursday, November 12, while India take on Afghanistan in the second semi-final, both at the same venue. As defending champions, Pakistan have now won three matches in a row in the tournament, and they are two wins away from retaining the title.