Harare: Usman Khan’s four wickets, aided by half-centuries from skipper Farhan Yusuf and Hamza Zahoor, helped Pakistan beat Afghanistan by one wicket in the second match of the U19 tri-series hosted by Zimbabwe.
Batting first, Afghanistan’s batting line-up was bowled out for 226 in 50 overs after Osman Sadat’s half-century.
The opener scored 75 off 106 balls with 4 fours and a six to top the score for Afghanistan.
Apart from him, captain Mahboob Khan (49) and Faisal Shinozada (31) could contribute significantly to Afghanistan’s score against Usman-led Pakistan bowling.
Usman led Pakistan’s bowling with four wickets for just 37 runs in his 10 overs, followed by Mohammad Syam and Daniel Ali Khan with two wickets each and Ahmed Hussain with one.
Chasing a target of 227 runs, the Green Shirts won with the loss of nine wickets and three balls to spare.
The Asian champions got off to a poor start to the run chase after losing top-order batsmen including Sameer Minhas (nil) and being bowled out for just 42 runs within 13 overs.
Following an early setback, skipper Farhan joined Ahmed in the middle and the duo batted smartly to seal the run chase with an 89-run partnership for the fourth wicket.
The crucial stand culminated in Farhan’s dismissal in the 31st over and was followed by two more wickets in quick succession, resulting in Pakistan slumping to 149/6 in 35.1 overs.
Farhan scored 65 runs off 78 balls and Ahmed scored 31 runs off 56 balls.
Wicketkeeper Batter Hamza then took control of Pakistan’s chase and ticked the scoreboard individually, while losing partners at regular intervals at the other end.
The right-handed batsman showed nerves of steel under pressure and eventually led his team with an unbeaten 68 off 51 balls with 8 fours and a six.
On the Afghan side, Salam Khan took 4 wickets for 44 runs in 10 overs. Zaidullah Shaheen bagged two seats while Nooristani Umarzai, Wahidullah Sadran and Usairullah Niazai bagged one seat each.
After a successful start to the U19 series, Pakistan face Zimbabwe in their next match, scheduled to be played at the same venue on Monday.