Pakistan thrash Japan to reach semifinal in U19 Asia Cup

LAHORE: Pakistan’s U19 cricket team delivered a dominant performance against Japan, defeating them by a massive 180-run margin in their final group match of the ACC U19 Asia Cup at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. With this victory, Pakistan remained undefeated and secured their place in the semifinals.

Pakistan’s Batting Effort: Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat first, posting a total of 243/6 in their allotted 50 overs. The innings started on a shaky note as they lost quick wickets, finding themselves at 57/3 in the 14th over. However, Faham ul Haq steadied the ship with a composed knock of 34 runs off 49 balls, including two sixes and a boundary, before he was dismissed by Nihar Parmar.

As the pressure mounted, Tayyab Arif and Shahzaib Khan looked to rebuild the innings, but Arif was dismissed for 20 runs in the 24th over, leaving Pakistan at 97/4. However, Khan (45 runs off 69 balls) and Riazullah (66* off 78 balls) formed an important partnership, adding 82 runs for the sixth wicket. Their partnership provided the stability Pakistan needed, with Ahmed Hussain contributing 30 runs off 23 balls* in an unbroken stand of 61 runs for the seventh wicket, taking Pakistan to 243/6.

Japan’s Struggle: Chasing 244 runs, Japan were dismissed for a mere 63 in just 21.3 overs, thanks to a brilliant performance from Mohammad Huzaifa. The left-arm spinner took 5 wickets for 8 runs, dominating the Japanese batting line-up. Mohammad Ahmed and Ahmed Hussain also played key roles, picking up two wickets each, while Faham ul Haq took one wicket.

Japan’s top scorer was Nihar Parmar, who made 25 runs off 60 balls, but he was the only batter to reach double figures. Pakistan U19’s Semifinal Outlook: With this comprehensive victory, Pakistan’s U19 team has now won all three of their group matches and has advanced to the semifinals. They will face Bangladesh on December 6 at the same venue in the first semifinal match of the tournament.