Continuing their meteoric rise in the world of cricket, Afghanistan proved their mettle yet again as the under-19 team of the nation created history in the final of the Asia Cup U-19 tournament in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday (November 19) by dismantling traditional powerhouse Pakistan by 185 runs.
It was a fitting end to the tournament for the Afghanistan colts who had won three out of their four league games and had beaten Nepal in the semi-final. The result is also a healthy sign of cricket as several smaller teams managed to beat the traditional heavyweights likes India’s defeat to Nepal.
Coming to the title-decider, Afghanistan scored 248 for seven after being asked to bat first.
Opening batsmen Rahman Gul (40 off 53 balls) and Ibrahim Zadran (36 off 76) gave the team a good start with a 61-run stand before Ikram Faizi, the leading run-getter in the tournament, scored a sublime century, smashing 10 fours and two sixes en route to his 113-ball 107 as Afghanistan posted a competitive total.
In reply, Pakistan were blown away by Mujeeb Zadran and Qais Ahmed as they ran riot with the ball to dismiss them for a paltry 63. Mujeed picked up 5 for 13 while Qais Ahmed finished with figures of 3/18 as Pakistan were all out for a two-digit score for the second time in the tournament against Afghanistan. During the league phase, Afghanistan had bowled out Pakistan for 57.
The win is a remarkable achievement for a country which has been crippled by wars, and a good infrastructure is a dream for its cricketers. Delighted with the historic achievement, senior national team star Mohammad Nabi took to Twitter to not only praise the youngsters but also mentioned the ordeals they crossed to win the tournament.
“They might be deprived of state of the art cricketing infrastructure and facilities but they know no excuses to win the Championship. Well done colts !,” he wrote on Twitter.
They might be deprived of state of the art cricketing infrastructure and facilities but they know no excuses to win the Championship. Well done colts ! #ACCYouthAsianCup pic.twitter.com/Y4jq0DKykC
— Mohammad Nabi (@MohammadNabi007) November 19, 2017
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