AL AMARAT: Pakistan Shaheens fell short by seven runs against India A in the fourth match of the ACC Men’s T20 Emerging Teams Asia Cup 2024. Arafat Minhas delivered a blistering knock, but it wasn’t enough. The match took place at Amerat Cricket Stadium on Saturday. India A set a total of 184 and restricted the Shaheens to 176/7 in their 20 overs.
The Pakistan Shaheens had a rough start. They lost two wickets within the first three overs and managed only 21 runs. Yasir Khan and Qasim Akram then led a recovery. They added 54 runs for the third wicket. However, the same bowler dismissed both players in the same over. This left the Shaheens struggling at 78/4 in 8.5 overs.
Crucial Performance of Arafat Minhas
Arafat Minhas led the chase, forging a 48-run partnership with Haider Ali, who managed a sluggish nine runs from 15 balls. Minhas maintained the momentum, adding 26 runs with Abdul Samad for the sixth wicket. His crucial 41-run knock from 29 balls, including five boundaries and a six, kept the Shaheens in contention until the 17th over when he was dismissed.
Samad added 25 runs from 15 deliveries but got out in the final over. Abbas Afridi chipped in with an 18-run cameo from nine balls, but the Shaheens ultimately fell short of the target.
For India A, Anshul Kamboj was the standout bowler with three wickets, while Rasikh Salam and Nishant Sindhu claimed two wickets each.
Earlier, India A had a strong start after captain Tilak Verma chose to bat first. Openers Abhishek Sharma and Prabhsimran Singh attacked Pakistan Shaheens’ bowlers, amassing 25 runs off Abbas Afridi in the sixth over. Abhishek scored 35 off 22 balls, while Prabhsimran added 36 from 19 deliveries.
Sufiyan Muqeem provided the breakthrough for Pakistan, dismissing Abhishek with his first delivery, thanks to a brilliant diving catch by Qasim Akram. Prabhsimran was removed in the following over by Arafat Minhas, slowing down India A’s progress.
Nehal Wadhera and skipper Tilak Verma rebuilt India A’s innings with a cautious 38-run stand. However, Pakistan struck again when Qasim Akram dismissed Ayush Badoni, leaving India at 120/4. Verma top-scored for India with 44 from 35 balls, before being dismissed in the second-last over.
Despite losing wickets, a last-ball six by Rasikh Salam helped India A reach a challenging total of 184. Sufiyan Muqeem was the pick of the bowlers for Pakistan Shaheens, taking two wickets, while Arafat Minhas, Mohammad Imran Jr, Zaman Khan, and Qasim Akram picked up one wicket each.
Both Pakistan Shaheens and India A were playing their first match in the ACC Men’s T20 Emerging Teams Asia Cup 2024.
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