- Usman Khan takes 4/37; Sayyam and Daniyal two wickets each.
- Pakistan chases 227, loses nine wickets and wins with 3 balls to spare.
- Farhan (65), Ahmed (31) added 89 runs; Hamza finished 68* to seal the victory.
HARARE: A four-wicket spell from Usman Khan, backed by half-centuries from captain Farhan Yousaf and Hamza Zahoor, propelled Pakistan to a tense one-wicket victory over Afghanistan in the second match of the U19 tri-series hosted by Zimbabwe at the Harare Sports Club on Saturday.
Put into bat first, Afghanistan’s batting unit folded for a meager 226 in 50 overs despite anchoring Osman Sadat for a half-century.
The opening batsman remained Afghanistan’s top scorer with a cautious 75 off 106 deliveries, combined with four fours and a six.
Apart from him, captain Mahboob Khan (49) and Faisal Shinozada (31) could make notable contributions to Afghanistan’s total against an Usman-led Pakistan bowling team.
Usman led Pakistan’s bowling charge with four wickets for just 37 runs in his 10 overs, followed by Mohammad Sayyam and Daniyal Ali Khan with two each, while Ahmed Hussain contributed one.
The Green Shirts had to make big yards in pursuit of the target of 227 runs as they lost nine wickets in the process and prevailed with just three balls to spare.
The Asian champions got off to a dismal start in the run chase as they lost their best batsmen, including Sameer Minhas (naught), in 13 overs with just 42 runs on the board.
After the initial setback, captain Farhan joined Ahmed in the middle, and the duo batted sensibly to anchor 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 followed two more wickets in quick succession, resulting in Pakistan slipping to 149/6 in 35.1 overs.
Farhan scored 65 off 78 balls, while Ahmed scored 31 off 56 deliveries.
Wicketkeeper batsman Hamza took charge of Pakistan’s chase and single-handedly kept the scoreboard ticking while losing teammates at the other end at regular intervals.
The right-handed batsman showed nerves of steel under pressure and eventually led his team over the line with an unbeaten 68 off just 51 deliveries, studded with eight fours and a six.
Salam Khan was the pick of the Afghanistan bowlers, taking four wickets for 44 runs in his 10 overs. Zaitullah Shaheen got two, while Nooristani Omarzai, Wahidullah Zadran and Uzairullah Niazai could get one each.
After a triumphant start to the U19 series, Pakistan will take on Zimbabwe at home in their next match, scheduled to be played at the same venue on Monday.
