The UAE team secured a remarkable 11-run victory over Pakistan in the semi-finals of the Under-19 Asia Cup at the ICC Academy grounds last Friday.
Captain Aayan Afzal Khan emerged as the hero for the hosts, scoring 55 runs off 57 balls to set a competitive total for UAE. He then led a strong bowling performance against Pakistan’s strong batting lineup, supported by pacers Obaid Rehman and Hardik Pai, who both claimed two wickets each.
However, it was pacer Ayman Ahamed who made the defining contributions by taking two crucial wickets towards the end to seal the win.
In the final, UAE will face Bangladesh, who secured a four-wicket victory over world champions India in the other semi-final match.
Pakistan, chasing a target of 194 in the low-scoring encounter, encountered trouble in the 23rd over when Ammar Badami broke the third-wicket partnership between skipper Saad Baig and Azan Awais. Baig fell after scoring fifty runs, caught behind by Aryansh Sharma, ending their 83-run partnership. This breakthrough led to a collapse, with Harshit Pai dismissing Riaz Ullah with a brilliant delivery, followed by a run-out of the well-set Awais due to sharp fielding.
The UAE team’s disciplined bowling, including two more run-outs, left the Group A leaders struggling at 121 for 7.
Throughout the innings, the hosts maintained pressure and restricted any room for Pakistan to recover.
While batting first, UAE faced a challenging time against Pakistan’s consistent bowling attack, losing wickets at regular intervals. Opener Aryansh Sharma fought hard for his 46 runs while wickets tumbled at the other end. Aayan and Ethan D’Souza stabilised the innings, but Pakistan pacer Ubaid Shah was the standout bowler, claiming four wickets.
