Harare: A half-century from in-form opener Sameer Minhas and five wickets from Umar Zaib helped Pakistan beat Afghanistan by 133 runs in the fifth match of the U19 tri-series at the Sunrise Sports Club on Friday.
The win marked Pakistan’s second win and took them into the finals, alongside hosts Zimbabwe, who are now second on the table with four points after three matches, one point behind the Green Shirts.
On the other hand, Afghanistan U19 exited the tri-series as they ended their campaign with a point.
Batting first in a high-stakes match, the Green Shirts amassed 238/9 in their allotted 50 overs on a challenging surface, thanks to a half-century from Minhas.
The right-handed opener was Pakistan’s top scorer with 56 off 49 balls with 6 fours and a six.
Apart from him, fellow top-order batsmen Ali Hasan Baloch and Usman Khan scored 39 and 43 respectively.
For Afghanistan, Zaidullah Shaheen and Salam Khan took 2 wickets each, while Wahidullah Sadran, Nuristani Umarzai, Qadir Stanikzai and Usairullah Niazhai took one wicket each.
Chasing 239, Afghanistan’s batting unit was leveled by right-arm pacer Jaib, who returned an impressive 5/31 in his 7.2 overs to score 105 runs before being booked in 30.2 overs.
Captain Mahboob Khan remained the top scorer with a cautious 29 off 56 balls, while Faisal Shinozada, Khalid Ahmadzai and Qadir Stanikzai were the other batsmen who scored double figures.
Ahmed Hussain and Momin Qamar took two wickets each for Zaib’s exploits.
The Green Shirts face Zimbabwe in their last league-level match, scheduled to play at the Old Hararians here on Sunday, before clashing with the home team in the final on January 6.