Two-time champions Pakistan escaped with a five-wicket win against Nepal in their second match of the ICC Men's Under-19 Cricket World Cup 2024 on Wednesday. Chasing a paltry target of 198 runs, Saad Baig & Co. reached the target in the 48th over in East London, South Africa. (More Cricket News)
Asked to bowl first, Pakistan bowlers did well to dismiss Nepal for 197 all with the last wicket falling on the last delivery of their innings. Let-arm spinner Arafat Minhas claimed figures of 3/23 in 10 overs including the wicket of opener Bipin Rawal, Nepal's top scorer (39 off 68).
Minhas, 19, was ably supported by pacer Ubaid Shah (2/48 in 8) and fellow left-arm spinner Ali Asfand whose miserly spell (1/15 in 10) chocked the Napelese batters. The first strikes, however, were provided by Ahmed Hussain, who claimed the wickets of opener Arjun Kamal and No. 3 Aakash Tripathi in his back-to-back overs. The 16-year-old leg-spinner returned with figures of 2/12 from his three overs.
For Nepal, skipper Khanal (23 off 27), Deepak Dumre (26 off 58) and Subash Bhandari (20 off 24) tried to give a some respectability to the innings with contrasting knocks, but they were eventually bowled out for 197.
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Pakistan started their chase brilliantly thanks to a 80-run opening stand from Shamyl Hussain (37 off 59) and Shahzaib Khan (37 off 70). But pacer Aakash Chand removed both in a space of three balls in the 22nd over to trigger a mini collaspe.
No. 3 Arafat Minhas departed for a 15-ball 8 in the 26th, giving Chand his third wicket, then Pakistan skipper got out for a five-ball duck to Aakash Tripathi, with scorecard reading 104/4 in the 28th over.
But Azan Awais, who remained undefeated on 63 off 82, and Ahmed Hussain (29 off 37) added 64 crucial runs in 85 for the fifth wicket to effectively kill Nepalese hopes for a shock win. Awais then stitched a run-a-ball stand of 33 runs with Haroon Arshad (15 off 18) to seal the win.
Pakistan now lead Group D thanks to their superior net run rate, +1.966 as against New Zealand's +1.740. Nepal and Afghanistan, both winless, are third and fourth, respectively.
Despite the defeat, Nepal, competing in their U-19 World Cup for the eighth time, can still make the Super Six with a win against Afghanistan in the final group match.
On Saturday, Pakistan and New Zealand face off to decide the group winners, a day after Nepal vs Afghanistan fixture.
