Sameer Minhas powers Pakistan to U19 Asia Cup title with 172

Sameer Minhas smashed 172 off 113 balls to power Pakistan to a 191-run win over India in the U19 Asia Cup final at Dubai. India, unbeaten until then, suffered its heaviest Youth ODI defeat as Pakistan lifted the trophy

Dubai: Sameer Minhas smashed a blistering 113-ball 172 and powered Pakistan to a thumping 191-run win over India to clinch the U19 Men’s Asia Cup title at the ICC Academy Ground on Sunday.

India, which had an unbeaten campaign so far, suffered its heaviest defeat in terms of runs in Youth ODIs. Pakistan, meanwhile, lifted the U19 Men’s Asia Cup trophy for the first time, having shared the 2012 edition with India when the final ended in a tie.

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Asked to bat first on a pitch that aided strokeplay, Pakistan posted 347/8, with Minhas leading the charge by hitting 17 fours and nine sixes. He shared partnerships of 92 and 137 with Usman Khan (35) and Ahmed Hussain (56).

India’s bowlers, barring spinner Khilan Patel, struggled to contain Pakistan. The only solace for India was pulling things back in the last 10 overs to keep Pakistan three runs short of 350.

In reply, India began brightly, racing to 32 runs in the first two overs. But the chase collapsed after skipper Ayush Mhatre fell in the third over. Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s 10-ball 26 was the only spark before India slipped to 68/5 by the end of the power-play.

Despite Deepesh Devendran top scoring with 36, India were bowled out for 156 in 26.2 overs. Pakistan pacer Ali Raza starred with 4-42, while Huzaifa Ahsan took 2-12.

Brief scores: Pakistan U19 347/8 in 50 overs (Sameer Minhas 172, Ahmed Hussain 56; Deepesh Devendran 3-83, Khilan Patel 2-44) beat India U19 156 all out in 26.2 overs (Deepesh Devendran 36, Vaibhav Suryavanshi 26; Ali Raza 4-42, Huzaifa Ahsan 2-12) by 191 runs.