Pakistan moved to within one win of keeping hold of the Under-19 Asia Cup on Thursday, sweeping Bangladesh aside by nine wickets in the first semi-final at the Al Amerat Cricket Ground in Oman. The defending champions chased down a target of 139 in only 21.5 overs, losing a single wicket along the way, and will now contest the final on Saturday with their unbeaten record at the tournament still intact. It was ruthless with the ball, calm with the bat, and finished long before the contest had a chance to become one.
The tone was set by Rizwanullah, whose five-wicket haul ripped the heart out of the Bangladesh innings. He finished with five wickets for 30 runs from eight overs and was later named player of the match, but he was far from a one-man attack. Mohammad Sayyam took two wickets for 29 runs, while Ali Raza, Hasnain Abbas Dar and Ahmed Hussain claimed one each as Bangladesh were dismissed for 138 in 31.4 overs.
Bangladesh had chosen to bat first, a decision that looked reasonable enough while opener Abdullah Al Muhi was at the crease. He played the one innings of real substance in his side’s effort, making 50 from 45 balls with four fours and two sixes. Rakibul Hossan offered the best support with 26 from 39 deliveries, and All Rafi chipped in with a brisk 20 from 22 balls, but the rest of the order could not stay with them. Captain Farid Hasan managed 17, three batters made one run each, and two more were dismissed without scoring, leaving Bangladesh well short of a total that could test Pakistan.
The chase was never allowed to develop into a contest. Openers Hayam Khan and Usman Khan put together a century partnership that took the game away from Bangladesh, batting with a freedom that reflected the smallness of the target. Hayam was first to go, for 69 from 72 balls, an innings that contained eight fours and a six. Usman carried on untroubled, finishing unbeaten on 64 from 54 deliveries with seven fours and two sixes, and Abdul Qadir, eight not out, was with him at the end as Pakistan reached 141 for one with 169 balls still unused.
It was the fourth win in a row for a Pakistan side that has not put a foot wrong in Oman. They opened by beating the hosts, the United Arab Emirates, then overcame India in the group match that carried the most weight, and completed a clean sweep of Group A with a 101-run win over Nepal. The semi-final showed the composure running through this group, who handled a knockout match without any sign of nerves.
There is good reason for that composure. Pakistan arrived in Oman as defending champions, having won the previous edition in the United Arab Emirates last December. That final, at the ICC Academy Ground in Dubai, was one of the most one-sided title matches the competition has seen: Sameer Minhas struck an unbeaten 172 from 113 balls to carry Pakistan to 347 for eight, and India were bowled out for 156, beaten by 191 runs. It was Pakistan’s first outright Under-19 Asia Cup title, their only previous triumph having come in 2012, when the final was tied and the trophy was shared with India. India remain the most successful side in the tournament’s history with eight titles.
Much of the credit belongs to the build-up. In September, Pakistan’s under-19s won a four-match youth one-day series in England 3-1, giving the squad proper experience of winning away from home before they travelled to Oman. Captain Farhan Yousaf, who also led the side to the title last year, has a group around him that knows its roles and trusts its plans. Usman Khan, too, has been a constant threat, announcing himself in the opener against the UAE with an unbeaten 139 from 120 balls before his calm half-century in the semi-final.
Pakistan will meet the winners of the second semi-final between India and Afghanistan in Saturday’s final, back at the same ground in Al Amerat. A meeting with India would repeat last year’s final, while Afghanistan, who beat Pakistan in the 2017 final, would bring their own history to the contest. Either way, Pakistan will start as the side in form, unbeaten in four matches and fresh from a semi-final won at a canter. Yet finals have a habit of ignoring form, and the hardest step is the last one. What the semi-final proved is that this team has the tools for the occasion: bowlers who hunt in a pack, openers who can take a chase out of reach, and a captain who has already lifted this trophy. One more performance like the one against Bangladesh, and the title will be staying with Pakistan.
