Pakistan U-19s Defeat UAE to Seal Semi-Final Spot in Asia Cup

Pakistan Under-19s secured a place in the semi-finals of the U-19 Asia Cup with a commanding 70-run victory over UAE Under-19s in a virtual knockout encounter on Tuesday.

Opting to bat first, Pakistan posted a competitive 241 for 9, built around a patient innings from Ahmed Hussain, who top-scored with 65 off 91 balls. Pakistan’s batting effort was marked by consistency, with six of the top seven batters contributing 20 or more runs.

Hussain anchored the innings and shared the highest partnership of the match, adding 52 runs with Hamza Zahoor, who made 42. The stand helped Pakistan recover after they had slipped to 160 for 5 in the 36th over and pushed the total beyond 200. However, Hussain’s dismissal triggered a late collapse, with Pakistan losing four wickets towards the end. Yug Sharma was the standout bowler for UAE, finishing with 3 for 52, including two wickets in the death overs.

Pakistan accelerated well after a steady start, scoring 124 runs in their first 29 overs before adding another 117 in the final 21 overs to reach 241 — a total that ultimately proved out of reach.

In reply, UAE began their chase confidently. Openers Ayaan Misbah and Yayin Kiran Rai put on 42 runs inside seven overs, setting a positive tone. Pakistan struck back through Abdul Subhan, who removed Rai and Zainullah Rehmani in quick succession. Misbah then rebuilt the innings alongside Prithvi Madhu, and the pair added 58 runs to steady the chase.

Misbah was the backbone of the UAE innings, scoring a well-made 77 from 74 balls, but his run-out in the 24th over proved a turning point. UAE were still well placed at 142 for 3 in the 31st over, but the innings unraveled dramatically thereafter.

Pakistan’s bowlers sparked a collapse of seven wickets for just 29 runs, bowling UAE out for 171 in their chase of 242. Subhan led the charge with an impressive spell of 4 for 31 and was named Player of the Match for his decisive contribution.

With the 70-run win, Pakistan booked their spot in the final four of the tournament, while UAE bowed out after a promising but ultimately unsuccessful chase.