RAWALPINDI: July 24,2023: Thanks to the excellent performance of Tayyab Tahir and the bowlers, Pakistan A won the title of champion by defeating India in the final of the emerging Asia Cup.
In the final match played in Colombo, India A team captain Yash Dhol won the toss and decided to bowl first and his decision proved completely wrong.
Pakistani openers Saeem Ayub and Sahibzada Farhan took full advantage of the field inside the circle in the opening overs and put on a partnership of 121 runs in 17 overs.
The partnership ended when Saim returned to the pavilion after scoring 59 off 51 balls, studded with 7 fours and two sixes.
Sahibzada Farhan scored 65 runs off 62 balls with the help of four sixes and as many fours, but the real blow to the national team came when after Umeer bin Yousuf was dismissed for a total of 183, Qasim Akram and captain Muhammad Haris also returned to the pavilion one after another and Pakistan A team lost 5 wickets for 187 runs.
At this stage, it seemed that the national team would soon be in control, but Tayyab Tahir stood in the way of the Indian bowlers and started attacking the wicket aggressively.
He also scored a fine century as well as a brilliant sixth-wicket partnership of 126 with youngster Mubaser Khan, returning to the pavilion after scoring 108 runs off 71 balls with 12 fours and 4 sixes.
In the closing overs, Muhammad Wasim Jr. showed some aggressive hands, thanks to which Pakistan A team managed to post a total of 352 runs on the scoreboard for the loss of 8 wickets in the allotted overs.
Ryan Prag and Rajvardhan Hingargekar were the most successful bowlers for India A with two wickets each.
Chasing the target, India’s openers also started the innings in a confident manner and added 64 runs for the first wicket, but Sai Sudharshan gave the wicket to Arshad Iqbal after scoring 29 runs.
Abhishek Sharma and Nikan Jose had taken the score to 11 when Nikan’s 11-run innings came to an end at the hands of Mohammad Wasim Jr.
Abhishek was joined by captain Yash Dhol at this stage and the duo put on a responsible stand of 52 runs for the third wicket, but before the partnership could create more trouble for Pakistan,
Sufyan Moqim dismissed Abhishek who played an aggressive innings of 61 runs.
The score had reached 157 when Nishant Sindhu also continued to score 10 runs, but the real blow to the Indian A team came when captain Yash Dhol also gave the wicket to Sufyan after scoring only 39 runs. Dharv Jovill and Ryan Prag got the job done while Sufyan Muqim got Harsht Rana running to give Pakistan their eighth win.
Rajvardhan’s stay at the wicket was also brief and Arshad Iqbal bowled the 11-run batsman to bring Pakistan to the threshold of victory.
After that, it did not take long for the Pakistanis to wrap the chessboard of the Indian team and the entire Indian A team was bundled out for 224 runs. Also got the honor of becoming the new champion of Emerging Asia.