Emerging Asia Cup: India A clinch thrilling 7-run victory over Shaheens
AL AMARAT: India A won a thrilling match against Pakistan Shaheens by seven runs in the fourth game of the ACC Men’s Emerging Asia Cup on Saturday.
The Shaheens came close to victory, scoring 176/7 in their 20 overs while chasing a target of 184 in Al Amarat, Oman. The game ended with Abbas Afridi (18*) and Zaman Khan (1*) at the crease.
Pakistan Shaheens’ captain, Mohammad Haris, opened the second innings but was quickly dismissed after scoring just six runs off two balls, dealing a blow to their chase. Yasir Khan, the other opener, had to take charge after Haris’ early departure.
Omair Yousuf was caught for just two runs in the second over, but Yasir and Qasim Akram formed a partnership, adding about 50 runs to the scoreboard. Yasir scored 33 off 22 balls with three sixes and a four, while Qasim made 27, hitting four boundaries.
Haider Ali was dismissed for nine runs, becoming the fifth wicket when Rasikh Salam bowled the last ball of the 14th over. Arafat Minhas played a key role, helping the Shaheens reach 100 runs in the 12th over, but was dismissed in the 16th over, just shy of a half-century, scoring 41 off 29 balls.
With the Shaheens 17 runs away from victory, Abdul Samad, who scored 25 off 15 balls, was caught out. Indian bowlers Rasikh Salam and Nishant Sindhu took two wickets each, while Anshul Kamboj claimed three.
Earlier in the match, Pakistan Shaheens’ bowlers made a strong comeback to limit India A to 183/8 after they had a fast start in the powerplay.
India A, led by captain Tilak Varma, chose to bat first. Abhishek Sharma and Prabhsimran Singh opened the innings. Sharma scored 35 off 22 balls, hitting two sixes and five boundaries, while Singh made 36 off 19 balls.
Tilak Varma contributed the most for his team, scoring 44 off 35 balls with two sixes and two fours. He formed a good partnership with Nehal Wadhera, who scored 25 off 22 balls before being dismissed by Sufiyan Muqeem when India A had reached 114-3. Varma was dismissed in the 18th over, after scoring valuable runs for his side.
Ramandeep Singh was the last wicket to fall, getting run out for 17. Other players like Ayush Badoni, Nishant Sindhu, Anshul Kamboj, Rahul Chahar, and Rasikh Salam couldn’t contribute much, all scoring less than 10 runs.
Pakistan Shaheens’ bowlers impressed by taking eight wickets in India A’s innings, with Mohammad Imran, Zaman Khan, Arafat Minhas, and Qasim Akram taking one wicket each, and Sufiyan Muqeem bagging two.
Playing XIs:
Pakistan Shaheens: Haider Ali, Mohammad Haris (captain, wicketkeeper), Yasir Khan, Omair Yousuf, Qasim Akram, Abdul Samad, Arafat Minhas, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Imran Jnr, Zaman Khan, Sufiyan Muqeem.
India A: Tilak Varma (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Prabhsimran Singh, Nehal Wadhera, Ayush Badoni, Ramandeep Singh, Nishant Sindhu, Rahul Chahar, Anshul Kamboj, Vaibhav Arora, Rasikh Salam.
