Scenes of celebration unfolded at the ICC Academy in Dubai as Pakistan sealed a dominant victory over India to win the Men’s U19 Asia Cup on Sunday.
The Green Shirts completed a comprehensive 191-run win after dismissing India for 156 runs in the final, capping off a commanding all-round performance in the title clash.
The decisive moment came when Ali Raza removed Deepesh Devendran, India’s last batter, prompting Pakistan players and support staff to rush onto the field, waving national flags. Former Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed, who is serving as mentor to the U19 side, was also part of the celebrations.
Pakistan’s triumph was built on a strong batting display followed by a disciplined bowling effort. Batting first, they set India a daunting target of 348 runs, before bowling them out in 26.2 overs.
Ali Raza led the bowling attack with figures of four wickets for 42 runs in 6.2 overs. Abdul Subhan, Mohammad Sayyam and Huzaifa Ahsan provided support with two wickets each.
Earlier, Sameer Minhas anchored Pakistan’s innings with a career-defining knock of 172 runs, guiding his side to 347 for eight in the allotted 50 overs.
Pakistan made a steady start as Minhas and Hamza Zahoor added 31 runs for the opening stand before Zahoor was dismissed in the fourth over. Usman Khan then joined Minhas and the pair added 92 runs for the second wicket, stabilising the innings.
Usman Khan was dismissed for 35, after which Minhas stitched together another key partnership, adding 137 runs for the third wicket with Ahmed Hussain, who scored 56 off 73 balls.
Minhas later shared a 42-run stand with captain Farhan Yousaf before falling on the penultimate ball of the 43rd over. He finished as Pakistan’s top scorer with 172 off 113 deliveries, including 17 fours and nine sixes.
Pakistan lost a cluster of wickets after his dismissal, slipping to 327 for eight, but late contributions from Mohammad Sayyam and Niqab Shafiq helped push the total to 347.
For India, Deepesh Devendran claimed three wickets despite conceding 83 runs, while Henil Patel and Khilan Patel took two wickets each, and Kanishk Chouhan picked up one.
