Pakistan beat Nepal to register 2nd victory in U19 World Cup

EAST LONDON – Pakistan secured their second victory in the ICC U19 World Cup in East London, South Africa, on Wednesday after defeating Nepal by five wickets. 

After restricting Nepal to 197 runs, the Pakistani team successfully chased down the target in the 48th over, losing five wickets in the process.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Bipin Rawal played a notable innings for Nepal, scoring 39 runs. Contributions from skipper Dev Khanal (23), Deepak Dumre (26), and Subash Bhandari (20) added to Nepal's total. 

Pakistan’s Arafat Manhas, the left-arm spinner, claimed three wickets, while Ubaid Shah, the brother of Naseem Shah, and medium-pacer Ahmad Hassan took two wickets each.

𝐓𝐰𝐨 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐰𝐨!

Pakistan U19 are on top of Group D with a five-wicket win over Nepal U19 👏#PakistanFutureStars | #U19WorldCup | #PAKvNEP https://t.co/yxxIAilkCT pic.twitter.com/8EX2ifan28

— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) January 24, 2024

In the chase, Pakistan's openers Shamyl Hussain and Shahzaib Khan both scored 37 runs. However, the standout performance came from Azan Awais, who remained unbeaten with 63 runs. Ahmad Hassan (29) and Haroon Arshad (15*) played crucial innings, guiding Pakistan to their second win.

Azan Awais is the player of the match for his calm and composed 6️⃣3️⃣* to steer Pakistan U19 to victory 🌟#PakistanFutureStars | #U19WorldCup | #PAKvNEP pic.twitter.com/IepoiWgH8f

— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) January 24, 2024

In their previous match on January 21, Pakistan defeated Afghanistan by 181 runs. Posting a total of 284/9, Shahzaib Khan's impressive century (106 runs) played a pivotal role. Saad Baig, the team captain, also contributed significantly with 55 runs. The bowlers maintained the pressure, with Ubaid Shah taking 4 wickets and Amir Hassan, Mohammad Zeeshan, and Ahmed Hussain contributing to the team's strong bowling effort.

Pakistan's next fixture is against New Zealand on January 27 in East London. 

Squad:

Saad Baig (captain and wicketkeeper), Ali Asfand (vice-captain), Ali Raza, Ahmad Hassan, Amir Hassan, Arafat Minhas, Azan Awais, Haroon Arshad, Khubaib Khalil, Mohammad Zeeshan, Naveed Ahmed Khan, Shahzaib Khan, Shamyl Hussain, Muhammad Riazullah, and Ubaid Shah.