Under the leadership of Saad Baig, the U19 team secured a spot in the semifinals by defending a low score of 155 against Bangladesh.
With a display of remarkable gameplay, Pakistan secured a spot in the semi-finals of the 2024 ICC U19 World Cup by defeating Bangladesh by five runs in their second Super Six match in Benoni, South Africa, on Saturday.
Led by Saad Baig, the Pakistan U19 team claimed a semi-final berth by defending a modest score of 155 against Bangladesh. This victory propelled Pakistan into the final four of the competition, alongside India, Australia, and South Africa, who had already solidified their positions in the semi-finals the previous day.
Seventeen-year-old Ubaid Shah once again led the team with distinction, claiming five wickets, while Ali Raza contributed with three crucial dismissals. Mohammad Zeeshan sealed the victory by taking the final wicket, securing a memorable win for Pakistan against the Tigers.
Don’t forget, Pakistan remains undefeated in the tournament with five victories under their belt. They triumphed over Afghanistan, Nepal, and New Zealand in the group stage and dominated Ireland and Bangladesh in the Super Six phase.
In the earlier encounter, Bangladesh won the toss and opted to bowl first, putting Pakistan into bat. Shahzaib Khan and Shamyl Hussain showcased their aggressive batting skills after navigating through the initial overs. Although Hussain took the lead in scoring runs, he fell victim to a sharply deviating delivery from Rohanat Doullah Borson, crashing into his off stump.
Despite reaching a relatively stable score of 50/1 by the end of the first Powerplay, Bangladesh made a strong comeback in the middle overs. Spearheaded by Borson and Sheikh Jibon, they dismantled Pakistan’s top and middle order, with the team losing their sixth wicket at 89. Unfortunately, Pakistan’s batting lineup couldn’t recover from this setback and failed to complete their allotted overs.
Jibon and Borson emerged as Bangladesh’s most formidable bowlers, each finishing with impressive figures of 4/24.
Pakistan’s Ubaid Shah staged a comeback with two quick wickets upfront, dismissing the aggressive Jishan Alam among them. He later claimed a third victim, catching Ahrar Amin’s edge skillfully at first slip, off a delivery from Haroon Arshad. Ubaid’s third wicket marked Bangladesh’s fourth, prompting the need for Ariful Islam and Md Shihab James to stabilize their innings.
However, Ariful fell in the subsequent over, nearly guiding an Ali Raza delivery past point, only for Shamyl to make a spectacular catch at point. In the 20th over, Ubaid claimed his fourth victim, reducing Bangladesh to 83/6.
Shihab and debutant Mahfuzur Rahman began rebuilding the chase, with 73 runs still needed. Shihab took charge of scoring, while Mahfuzur held his ground. Shihab had a lucky escape in the 29th over when Ubaid couldn’t secure a straightforward catch.
But Ubaid made amends in the very next over by dismissing Shihab. Ali Raza contributed shortly after, putting Pakistan back in control.
Pakistan seemed on the brink of victory when a direct hit secured the ninth wicket at 127. However, Borson and Maruf Mridha fought valiantly for the final wicket, bringing Bangladesh within six runs of victory by the 37th over.
Mohammad Zeeshan, however, forced Maruf to play one onto his stumps in the next over, sealing the win for Pakistan.
In the semi-finals, Pakistan will face South Africa, while India will square off against Australia.
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