TOWNSVILLE: Pakistan were defeated by their arch rivals India by one wicket in the sensational quarter-finals of the ICC Under-19 World Cup cricket tournament here at the Tony Ireland Stadium on Monday.
Despite setting an easy target of 137 runs in fifty overs, Pakistan fought back bravely and were looking set for beating India in the low-scoring thriller.
However, last pair, Harmeet Singh (13 not out) and Sandeep Sharma (2 not out) stood in Pakistan’s way to snatch a one-wicket thrilling win.for India
Thus Pakistan’s hopes of reaching the semi-finals were shattered.after getting three consecutive victories in the tournament.
Batted first after winning the toss, Pakistan could not make a big score and were all out for 136 runs in 45.1 overs.
Captain Babar Ayaz top scored with 50 followed by Ehsan Adil (35) and Umar Waheed (27) whereas Sandeep Sharma and Ravikant Singh captured three wickets each for India.
In reply, India made a disastrous start losing three wickets for only eight runs but Baba Aparajith (51) and Vijay Zol (36) rescued the team with a 66-run fourth wicket partnership
Then, wickets were falling again with regular intervals and Pakistan were in sight of an easy victory as India were 130 for nine. But the last pair survived to take India to the semi-finals.
For Pakistan, Zia-ul-Haq and Azizullah claimed three wickets each for 23 and 30 runs, respectively.