IND A vs PAK A: The ‘Men in Green’ asserted their dominance by outclassing India A in the much-anticipated final of the ACC Men’s Emerging Asia Cup 2023. The final was equally poised for India A & Pakistan A but the Shaheen Army managed to outclass Yash Dhull Men to win the gleaming title for the second consecutive time. Earlier Pakistan A defeated Bangladesh A in the ACC Men’s Emerging Teams Asia Cup 2019 final to clinch the title for the first time.
Saim-Farhan’s 121-run opening stand did the trick for Pakistan
The match unfolded with India A winning the toss & opting to bowl first. Batting first Pakistan A got the start they have always dreamt of. The openers Saim Ayub & Sahibzada Farhan stitched a rewarding 121-run stand for the opening wicket. Sahibzada Farhan was the leading scorer among the duo as he returned with scores of 65 runs for 62 balls in an innings embellished with four fours & four sixes. He got valuable support from Saim Ayub who returned with 59 runs off 51 balls with 7 fours & two sixes. The duo successfully batted till the 16th over before Saim was removed off Suthar’s bowling reducing in the 17th over reducing Pakistan A to 121 runs. Sahibzada joined hands with Omair Yousuf & the duo carried ahead Pakistan’s innings.
Soon Pakistan A lost their second wicket when Farhan was dismissed in the 21st over with 146 runs on board. After Farhan’s dismissal, Pakistan A collapsed as they lost three wickets in quick succession. Omair Bin Yousuf (35 off 35 balls), Qasim Akram (0), and captain Mohammad Haris (2 off 6 balls) all went back to the hut reducing Pakistan A to 187 for five in 28.4 overs. But things were not over for Pakistan with Tayyab staying intact on the crease.
Tayyab-Ayub brought up his fourth Century in List A format
Tayyab joined hands with new batter Mubasir Khan & the duo stitched a rewarding 126-run stand for the sixth wicket to keep Pakistan alive in the fixture. Tayyab was in his absolute best form as he smashed Indian bowlers for fours & sixes. In the process, he brought up his fourth List A format century in just 66 balls. Tayyab ended his stint with 108 runs in 71 balls comprising 12 fours & four sixes. After Tayyab’s dismissal, Mubasir’s 35 runs off 47 balls & quick cameos from Mehran Mumtaz (13 runs off 10 balls) & Mohammad Wasin Jnr (17* off 10 balls) helped Pakistan A to post a decent 352 runs total in 50 overs. For India A, except R Hangargekar (2) & Parag (2) none of their bowlers could actually create an impact with the ball.
India A got off to a good start with a 64-run Opening stand
In the chase of 352 runs, India A openers got off to a gleaming start stitching a 64-run stand for the first wicket. Sai Sudarshan scored 29 runs off 28 balls with 4 fours while Abhishek Sharma returned with scores of 61 runs off 51 balls with five fours & one six. But soon their 64-run stand was broken when Arshad dismissed Iqbal in the 9th over. Later after two overs, Jose was dismissed reducing India to 80-2. Abhishek Sharma then joined hands with Captain Yash Dhull & the duo kept India’s scoreboard ticking.
Batters failed to stitch stable stands which resulted in their loss
The opener who was aiming for an imposing innings was trapped by Sufiyan who dismissed him in the 20th over after scoring 61 runs off 51 balls. Yash Dhull on the other end tried to stabilize India’s innings along with Nishant Sandhu but couldn’t do much as he lost his wicket in the 25th over reducing India to 157-4. Soon in the next over Yash Dhull was sent packing after scoring 39 runs off 41 balls. Yash Dhull’s wicket acted as the final nail in the coffin for India as none of the other batters could actually return with crucial runs.
Riyan Parag (14 off 17 balls), Harshit Rana (13 off 9), & R Hangargekar (11 off 14 balls) played brief cameos but none of them could actually build a stable stand. As a result, India A was wrapped up for 224 runs in 40 overs, handing a massive 128-run win to Pakistan A.
For Pakistan A, Sufiyan Muqeem bagged three wickets for 66, while Arshad Iqbal, Mehran Mumtaz, and Mohammad Wasim Jnr took two wickets each. They displayed a sheer balance of lines & lengths to trouble the Indian batters with the ball in hand. It was Pakistan’s clinical all-round show that helped them to clinch their second consecutive Acc Emerging Asia Cup title.
IND A vs PAK A, Emerging Asia Cup 2023 Final: Player of the Match
Tayyab Tahir was named as the ‘Player of the Match’ for his match-winning 108 runs off 71 balls. It was Tahir’s extraordinary knock that helped Pakistan A to win the ACC Emerging Asia Cup 2023.
IND A vs PAK A, Emerging Asia Cup 2023 Final: Brief Scores
Pakistan ‘A’ 350-8 (Tayyab Tahir 108, Sahbzada Farhan 65, Riyan Parag 2-24) vs India A 224 (Abhishek 61, Yash Dhull 39, Sufiyan Muqeen 3-66)
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