LONDON: Pakistan defeated Nepla by 5 wickets in a match of the current ICC Men’s U19 World Cup in East London. The confident start of Nepal unraveled as Pakistan’s bowlers took control during the middle overs. Despite a brisk scoring pace in the first Powerplay and a notable contribution from Arjun Kumal and Aakash Tripathi, Nepal faced setbacks with the dismissal of their skipper, Dev Khanal by Ali Asfand.
Arafat Minhas further strengthened Pakistan’s position by accounting for Uttam Magar and Bipin Rawal between overs 21-30. Khubaib Khalil’s dismissal of Gulshan Jha signaled the entry into the tail. However, the Nepal tail, reminiscent of the previous game, resisted effectively, with appearances from Subash Bhandari and Aakash Chand, helping them finish close to the 200-run mark.
In response, Pakistan’s openers adopted a safety-first approach in the first Powerplay, accumulating only 33 runs with three boundaries. The scoring rate saw a marginal increase between overs 11-20, adding 42 runs. Aakash Chand’s short ball tactic proved effective, dismissing both openers, Shahzaib Khan and Shamyl Hussain, in the same over.
Subsequent impatience from incoming batters, Arafat Minhas and Saad Baig, resulted in significant setbacks for Pakistan. The team, in dire need of a rescuing act, found it in a fifth-wicket partnership between Azan Awais and Ahmad Hassan. Eventually, the Men in Green successfully crossed the finish line in the 48th over.
