Tag: Emerging Asia Cup

AL AMERAT: Sediqullah Atal and Zubaid Akbari scored brisk half-centuries as Afghanistan A stunned India A by 20 runs to qualify for the ACC Men’s T20 Emerging Teams Asia Cup 2024 final.

Afghanistan captain Darwish Rasooli’s decision to bat first bore fruit as they racked up a massive total of 206/4 on the board.

Openers Atal and Akbari provided Afghanistan A a solid start to their innings and asserted dominance on India A bowlers as both scored half-centuries.

The duo had pushed Afghanistan’s total to 137 in 14 overs before Aaqib Khan finally broke the threatening partnership by dismissing Akbari.

Zubaid Akbari smashed five fours and four sixes on his way to a 41-ball 64.

Atal then joined forces with Karim Janat and made sure to keep the momentum in Afghanistan’s favour with a 44-run partnership, which lasted with his dismissal in the 18th over.

Atal remained the top-scorer for Afghanistan with a 52-ball 83, peppered with seven fours and four sixes.

Afghanistan then suffered another blow to their batting expedition when their captain Darwish Rasooli fell for a golden duck and brought the total down to 181/3 in 17.4 overs.

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Janat carried his bat until the final over and played a pivotal role in bolstering Afghanistan’s total with a quickfire 41 off 20 balls, hitting four fours and two sixes.

Rasikh Salam was the standout bowler for India A with three wickets, while Aaqib Khan made one scalp.

Chasing a daunting 207, India A managed to amass 186/7 in the allotted overs despite a fighting century down the order by Ramandeep Singh.

Singh came out to bat when India A were reeling at 80/4 in 10 overs, needing a further 127 runs in the remaining overs.

Ramandeep Singh fought valiantly until the end with a 34-ball 64, laced up with 10 boundaries but his efforts were not enough to steer India A to a miraculous entry.

Abdul Rahman and AM Ghazanfar bagged two wickets each for Afghanistan A, while Karim Janat took one.

The 20-run victory over India A, propelled Afghanistan A into the Emerging Asia Cup final where they will take on Sri Lanka A on Sunday.

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AL AMERAT: Dushan Hemantha’s four-wicket haul, coupled with Ahan Wickramasinghe’s anchoring half-century powered Sri Lanka A to thump Pakistan Shaheens and qualify for the ACC Men’s T20 Emerging Teams Asia Cup.

Chasing 136 to win, Sri Lanka A achieved the target in the 17th over, courtesy of a quickfire second-wicket partnership between Lahiru Udara and Ahan Wickramasinghe.

Sri Lanka A had an unwanted start to their pursuit as Yashodha Lanka (11, 10b) suffered a bizarre dismissal for obstructing the field.

Udara was then joined by Wickramasinghe and they turned the tide in Sri Lanka A’s favour with belligerent hitting. The duo added 64 runs in just 6.1 overs until Udara fell victim to Sufiyan Muqeem.

Wicketkeeper-batter Lahiru Udara scored a quick-fire 43 off 20 balls, hitting two fours and four sixes.

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Udara’s dismissal halted the flow of runs for Sri Lanka A and they had to bat cautiously to get to the finishing line in the 17th over despite set-batter Wickramasinghe being in the middle.

Ahan Wickramasinghe top-scored for Sri Lanka A with a 46-ball 52, laced up with four fours and a six.

Earlier, opting to bat first in the first semi-final, Pakistan Shaheens managed to score 135 for nine in their 20 overs. Opening batter Omair Bin Yousuf was the top run-getter for the side scoring 68 off 46 balls, which included five fours and four sixes.

Haider Ali (14, 15b), Mohammad Imran Jnr (13, 12b, 2x4s) and Arafat Minhas (10, 8b, 1×4) were the other batters to reach double figures.

For Sri Lanka A, Dushan Hemantha bagged four wickets for 21 in four overs, while Eshan Malinga and Nipun Ransika took two wickets apiece.

The second semi-final of the Emerging Asia Cup will be played between Afghanistan A and India A later today.

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AL AMERAT: Mohammad Haris’ blistering 71-run knock, followed by Shahnawaz Dahani’s five-wicket haul steered Pakistan Shaheens to a crushing 114-run victory against United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the ACC Men’s T20 Emerging Teams Asia Cup 2024 here on Wednesday.

After opting to bat first, Shaheens racked up 179-4 in the allotted 20 overs as Haris notched an unbeaten 71 off 49 balls. Opening batters Omair Bin Yousuf (21, 11b, 2x4s, 2x6s) and Yasir Khan (25, 13b, 3x4s, 2x6s) departed inside the Powerplay where Shaheens amassed 49 runs for the loss of two wickets.

Mohammad Haris, who walked into bat after two overs, kept the Shaheens innings intact as he put on 62 runs for the third wicket with Qasim Akram (23, 28b, 1×6).

UAE’s Muhammad Farooq produced a double blow in the 14th over when he dismissed Qasim and Abdul Samad to leave Shaheens 112-4.

Haris was then joined by Haider Ali as the duo accounted for an unbeaten 67-run fifth-wicket partnership.

Haris hit six fours and three sixes while Haider slammed as many sixes and one four in his 17-ball 32 not out.

For UAE, Farooq was the only successful bowler as he returned for 3-27 in his four overs.

In reply, UAE lost wickets at regular intervals as they only managed 28-3 in the first six overs as Dahani struck thrice.

Skipper Rahul Chopra, batting at No. 5, top-scored for his team with 20 off 18 balls hitting three fours while Tanish Suri (15, 15b, 3x4s) and Syed Haider (12, 16b, 1×6) were the only other batters to reach double figures.

Dahani registered his career-best T20 bowling figures when he dismissed Akif Raja in the 15th over, finishing with 5-12 in four overs including two maidens.

Sufiyan Moqim picked up two wickets while Ahmed Daniyal, Mohammad Abbas Afridi and Arafat Minhas dismissed one batter each.

The commanding triumph over UAE, sealed Pakistan Shaheens’ spot in the semi-finals of the ACC Men’s T20 Emerging Teams Asia Cup 2024, set to take place on Friday, 25 October.

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AL AMARAT: Arafat Minhas’ blistering 41-run knock went in vain as India A beat Pakistan Shaheens by seven runs in the fourth match of the ACC Men’s T20 Emerging Teams Asia Cup 2024 here at Amerat Cricket Stadium on Saturday.

Set to chase 184, Shaheens managed to accumulate 176/7 in the allotted 20 overs.

Pakistan Shaheens had a shaky start to the pursuit as they lost two wickets inside three overs with just 21 runs on the board.

Following the early stutter, Yasir Khan joined forces with Qasim Akram and launched a brilliant recovery.

The duo added 54 runs at a brisk amid their third-wicket partnership but both perished in the ninth over, reducing Shaheens to 78/4 in 8.5 overs.

Arafat Minhas then took the reigns of Pakistan Shaheen’s run chase and put together a one-sided 48-run partnership with Haider Ali, who scored a scratchy nine off 15 deliveries.

Minhas was then involved in yet another crucial partnership for Shaheens when he, alongside Abdul Samad, scored a quick 26 runs for the sixth wicket.

The young all-rounder eventually perished in the 17th over after a fighting 41-run knock, coming from 29 balls and featuring five fours and a six.

Meanwhile, Samad carried on until the first delivery of the final over and walked back after a gritty 15-ball 25.

Abbas Afridi also offered some resilience with his nine-ball 18 but his efforts were not enough to pull off the victory for the Shaheens.

For India A, Anshul Kamboj took three wickets, while Rasikh Salam and Nishant Sindhu claimed two each.

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Abhishek Sharma and Prabhsimran Singh gave India A a flamboyant start after Tilak Verma opted to bat first.

The openers decimated Pakistan Shaheens’ bowlers in the batting powerplay, the highlight of which was when they smashed Abbas Afridi for 25 runs in the sixth over.

The solid start had set the tone for India A to amass a massive total but Sufiyan Muqeem, introduced after the batting powerplay, struck on the first delivery of his spell to mark Pakistan Shaheens’ comeback.

The left-arm spinner dismissed Abhishek, supported by a sensational diving catch by Qasim Akram inside the circle. Abhishek scored 35 off 22 deliveries, laced up five fours and two sixes.

Prabhsimran followed suit in the next over, falling victim to Arafat Minhas, after scoring a quickfire 36 off 19 balls, hitting three fours and as many sixes in the process.

The back-to-back dismissals halted the flow of runs for India A as Nehal Wadhera (25) and skipper Tilak Verma batted cautiously amid their 38-run partnership which spanned six overs.

India A then suffered another blow to their batting expedition when Ayush Badoni (2) was outclassed by Qasim Akram in the next over, resulting in them slipping to 120/4.

Verma then put together a one-sided 43-run partnership with Ramandeep Singh (17) before finally perishing in the penultimate over.

The India A captain remained the top-scorer for his side with a 35-ball 44, which included four boundaries including two sixes.

Pakistan Shaheens then struck thrice in quick succession but a last-ball six by Rasikh Salam lifted India A to a commendable total in the end.

Sufiyan Muqeem was the standout bowler for Pakistan Shaheens, picking up two wickets, while Mohammad Imran Jr, Zaman Khan, Arafat Minhas and Qasim Akram made one scalp apiece.

Notably, both Pakistan Shaheens and India A are playing their first match in the ongoing ACC Men’s T20 Emerging Teams Asia Cup 2024.

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AL AMARAT: India A won the toss and chose to bat first against Pakistan Shaheens in the blockbuster ACC Men’s T20 Emerging Teams Asia Cup clash here at Al Amerat Cricket Ground on Saturday.

PLAYING XIs

Pakistan Shaheens: Haider Ali, Mohammad Haris, Yasir Khan, Omair Bin Yousuf, Qasim Akram, Abdul Samad, Arafat Minhas, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Imran, Zaman Khan, Sufiyan Muqeem.

India A: Abhishek Sharma, Prabhsimran Singh, Tilak Varma, Nehal Wadhera, Ayush Badoni, Ramandeep Singh, Nishant Sindhu, Rahul Chahar, Anshul Kamboj, Vaibhav Arora, Rasikh Salam.

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Pakistan Shaheens’ captain Mohammad Haris has revealed that the players are not allowed to discuss the match against India in the dressing room during the upcoming ACC Men’s T20 Emerging Teams Asia Cup, commencing in Oman on 18 October.

Haris-led Shaheens will take on last year’s finalists India ‘A’ in their opening match on 19 October.

The Pakistan captain shared that he is keen on ensuring that his players do not succumb to pressure ahead of the match against India.

As a result, he has instructed the players not to engage in discussions regarding the blockbuster match.

“Talking about India is banned in the dressing room,” said Haris. “Players feel pressure when thinking about the match against India and we don’t want to put them under pressure.”

Haris also shared that the team is not only focusing on India but other opponents as well and is preparing for each team according to their strengths and weaknesses.

“The preparations for the tournament are in full swing,” he added. “Our focus is not only on India, we have matches against other teams too and we will have different plans for each team.”

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Mohammad Haris then went on to claim that the experience of leading Stallions in the Champions One-Day Cup will come in handy in the upcoming ACC Men’s T20 Emerging Teams Asia Cup 2024.

“PCB has appointed me as captain for different teams. Captaining the emerging team is a different experience. I have previously captained senior players in the Champions One-Day Cup,” said Haris.

Pakistan Shaheens’ second outing in the tournament will be against hosts Oman on 21 October, followed by their final group match will be against the UAE on 23 October.

The top two sides from each group will qualify for the semi-finals scheduled to take place on 25 October. The final will take place on Sunday, 27 October.

Pakistan Shaheens’ Squad

Mohammad Haris (c), Abdul Samad, Ahmed Daniyal, Arafat Minhas, Haider Ali, Haseebullah, Mehran Mumtaz, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Imran Jnr, Omair Bin Yousuf, Qasim Akram, Shahnawaz Dahani, Sufiyan Moqim, Yasir Khan and Zaman Khan

Team management: Umar Rasheed (head coach-cum-manager), Imran Farhat (batting coach), Riffatullah Mohmand (fielding coach), Usman Hashmi (analyst) and Syed Mohammad Asad (physiotherapist)

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Pakistan Shaheens’ captain Mohammad Haris reviewed his men’s incredible victory in the recently concluded ACC Men’s Emerging Teams Asia Cup and termed it “very satisfying”.

Pakistan Shaheens successfully defended the ACC Men’s Emerging Teams Asia Cup title. Shaheens defeated India A in the final by a comprehensive 128-run margin at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Sunday evening.

The star of the final was the right-handed batter Tayyab Tahir, who scored a match-winning century.

Eight teams featured in the 50-over tournament which was held in Colombo from 13 to 23 July.

The teams were divided into two pools, with Afghanistan A, Bangladesh A, Oman A and Sri Lanka A forming Group A, while Pakistan Shaheens along with India A, Nepal and UAE A, were in Group B.

Pakistan Shaheens finished second in their group, beating Nepal and UAE A by four wickets and 184 runs, respectively. In the third fixture, Shaheens went down against India A by eight wickets.

Top two teams from each group qualified for the semi-finals held on Friday, 21 July. Sri Lanka A, table-toppers from Group A, took on Pakistan Shaheens, while India A, who finished at the top of Group B, played Bangladesh A.

After going down to India A, Shaheens staged a remarkable comeback and defeated Sri Lanka A by 60 runs to qualify for their second successive final. Arshad Iqbal’s maiden List A five-wicket haul and Omair Bin Yousuf’s 88 lifted Shaheens to victory.

In the final, Shaheens were unstoppable from the first ball of the match, and a comprehensive all-round performance led by Tayyab’s century guided Shaheens to lift the trophy.

In the batting charts, three Shaheens batters finished among the top 10 batters of the tournament.

Tayyab, who occupied fifth spot, scored 190 runs from four outings, at a strike rate of 110.46. He struck 22 fours and four sixes in the tournament and also scored one century and one half-century. Tayyab complemented his batting with good fielding, taking four catches.

Omair Bin Yousuf amassed 183 runs from five matches at an average of 36.60, which included one half-century. He also took four catches over the course of the tournament.

Pakistan Shaheens’ opening pair of Sahibzada Farhan (4 matches, 175 runs, 2x50s, 43.75 avg) and Saim Ayub (5 matches, 161 runs, 2x50s, 32.20 avg) were the other notable contributors with the bat.

In the bowling unit, left-arm wrist spinner Sufiyan Muqeem was the most successful bowler for Shaheens, grabbing eight wickets from three matches at an economy rate of 5.06. He registered three-fers on two occasions including the important spell of three for 66 in the final.

Right-arm fast Arshad bagged seven wickets from three outings in the tournament, which included a five-fer against Sri Lanka A in the first semi-final.

Right-arm off-spinner Qasim Akram etched the best match figures in the tournament with 10-1-26-6 in Shaheens’ 184-run win over UAE A.

Shahnawaz Dahani was other Shaheens bowler to take a five-wicket haul. He achieved that feat in Shaheens’ opening match of the tournament against Nepal.

After successfully defending the title, wicketkeeper-batter and captain Mohammad Haris talked exclusively to PCB Digital. Haris, behind the stumps, had six dismissals to his name, which included four catches and two stumpings.

Mohammad Haris said: “We are all very excited after beating India A in the final. The good thing is the senior team is here and they too celebrating the win, providing us with extra motivation.

“When we lost against India A in the group stage, it gave us a good wake-up call, and there is always a great learning from the loss. We were confident in our ability to learn from our mistakes and were determined to beat India A in the final.

“The players responded exceptionally well as we tried different combinations in the tournament. We tried to give ample opportunities to players and the team benefitted significantly.

“The support staff worked really hard with the players, during the camp in Lahore and here in Sri Lanka. They backed the players, worked tirelessly with them and the results are for everyone to see.

“I had talked to a few Pakistan men’s senior players before the final. Babar Azam’s pep talk to the team on the eve of the final greatly motivated the players.

“For me the win was very satisfying as I have participated in two finals (ICC Men’s T20 World Cup and ACC Men’s Emerging Teams Asia Cup), and now with the ACC title triumph, I will celebrate this win in a grand manner.”

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Tayyab Tahir’s sparkling century helped Pakistan Shaheens beat India A by 128 runs in the final of the ACC Men’s Emerging Teams Asia Cup at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Sunday evening.

This was Pakistan Shaheens’ second successive ACC Men’s Emerging Teams Asia Cup title, after the side defeated Bangladesh in the 2019 edition final.

After being put into bat, the openers provided a solid 121-run start to the innings. Saim Ayub (59, 51b, 7x4s, 2x6s) was the first batter to return to the hut.

His opening partner Sahibzada Farhan (65, 62b, 4x4s, 4x6s) was the next batter to be dismissed with 146 runs on the board.

After the departure of opening batters, Shaheens were in a spot of bother when they lost three wickets in quick succession. Omair Bin Yousuf (35, 35b,4x4s), Qasim Akram (naught) and captain Mohammad Haris (2, 6b) went back to the pavilion with Shaheens 187 for five in 28.4 overs.

At that crucial juncture of the ACC Men’s Emerging Asia Cup final, Tayyab was joined by Mubasir Khan and the pair stitched 126 runs for the sixth wicket.

Right-handed batter Tayyab brought up his fourth List A century off just 66 balls. He was dismissed for 108 off 71 balls, which included 12 fours and four towering sixes.

Mubasir’s 47-ball 35 and cameos from Mehran Mumtaz (13, 10b, 2x4s) and Mohammad Wasim Jnr (17 not out, 10b, 1×4, 1×6) helped Shaheens post a mammoth 352 for eight in 50 overs.

For India A, Rajvardhan Hangargekar and Riyan Parag bagged two wickets apiece.

Chasing 353, India A openers got off to a decent start, stitching a 64-run partnership for the first wicket, but once the opening stand was broken, India A were never in the hunt and were bundled out for 224 in 40 overs.

Opening batter Abhishek Sharma top-scored with a 51-ball 61, hitting five fours and a six.

For Shaheens, Sufiyan Muqeem bagged three wickets for 66, while Arshad Iqbal, Mehran Mumtaz and Mohammad Wasim Jnr took two wickets each.

Tayyab, for his century, was named the player of the Men’s Emerging Asia Cup final.

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COLOMBO: Arshad Iqbal’s five-wicket haul and half-centuries by Omair Bin Yousuf and Mohammad Haris led Pakistan Shaheens to a 60-run win over Sri Lanka A in the first semi-final of the ACC Men’s Emerging Teams Asia Cup.

Defending champions Shaheens will now play against the winners of the second semi-final of the ACC Men’s Emerging Teams Asia Cup which is taking place between Bangladesh A and India A today at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.

Chasing 323 to win, Sri Lanka A lost three wickets in quick succession with 33 runs on the board. Opening batter Avishka Fernando and Sahan Arachchige got together and added 128 runs for the fourth wicket.

After the departure of Fernando (97, 85b, 12x4s, 2x6s), Sri Lanka A lost wickets at regular intervals which included the prized scalp of Arachchige (97, 109b, 12x4s, 1×6) and were bundled out for 262 in 45.4 overs.

Arshad ended up with match figures of 7.4-0-37-5 – his maiden List A five-wicket haul. Mubasir Khan and Sufiyan Muqeem grabbed two wickets each.

Earlier after opting to bat first, Shaheens lost opening batter Sahibzada Farhan (12, 22b, 1×4) in the sixth over to Lahiru Samarakoon.

Saim Ayub was joined by Omair Bin Yousuf and the pair added 37 runs for the second wicket before Saim was caught behind for 22 off 41 balls, which included three fours as Shaheens’ scorecard read 61 for two in 13 overs.

Omair – the top run-getter for Pakistan Shaheens in today’s match – partnered with Tayyab Tahir (26, 26b, 4x4s) and stitched a 61-run partnership for the third wicket.

After Tayyab and Qasim’s departure with the score at 145 for four in 26 overs, captain Mohammad Haris and Omair knitted a 48-run partnership for the fifth wicket.

Omair scored 88 off 79 balls, smashing 10 fours and a six. Haris and Mubasir (42, 45b, 2x4s, 2x6s) added another 73 valuable runs for the sixth wicket.

Haris made a quick-fire 43-ball 52, hitting five boundaries. Shaheens were dismissed for 322 on the final ball of the innings.

For Sri Lanka A, Chamika Karunaratne, Lahiru Samarakoon and Pramod Madushan bagged two wickets each.

It is important to note that the final of the ACC Men’s Emerging Teams Asia Cup will take place on Sunday at the R Premadasa Stadium, where the first ball will be bowled at 1400 local time.

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