LAHORE: Fine batting by Ihsanullah, Mohammad Sardar and devastating bowling by Zia-ur-Rehman and Shahidullah helped Afghanistan U-19s stun their Pakistan counterparts by 69 runs in the third and final one-day match here at the Gaddafi Stadium on Friday to claim the series 2-1.
On being invited to bat first, the visiting Afghan team piled up a respectable 223-9 in the allotted 45 overs, thanks to fine willow work by Ihsanullah (65 runs off 70 balls, 10 fours) and Sardar (56 off 60, five fours). Hazratullah (42) and Hazratullah Zazai (42) also contributed with the bat.
Ihsanulah was declared man-of-the-match for his impressive batting.
Shahabul Khan and Aamer Jamal bowled well for the hosts, taking three wickets for 22 and two for 46, respectively.
In reply, Pakistan U-19 team batsmen crumbled and the home side were dismissed for a paltry 154 in 41.3 overs, giving the spirited Afghans a memorable victory.
On the other hand, as regards Pakistan questions will be raised over the potential of their young players, batsmen in particular, as conceding a defeat to lowly Afghanistan side is no good sign for the home side by any means.
Only Yousuf Babar (32) and Umair Masood (31) could make notable contributions. For the visitors, Zia claimed four wickets for 17 while Shahidullah claimed three for 34.
Summarised scores:
Afghanistan U-19 bt Pakistan U-19 by 69 runs.
AFGHANISTAN U-19: 223-9 in 45 overs (Ihsanullah 65, Hazratullah 42, Mohammad Sardar 56, Hazraullah Zazai 42; Mohammad Shahabul Khan 3-22, Aamer Jamal 2-46).
PAKISTAN U-19: 154 in 41.3 overs (Yousuf Babar 32, Umair Masood 31, Noor Wali 29, Imran Rafiq 20; Zia-ur-Rehman 4-17, Shahidullah 3-34, Zahir Khan 1-17, Rashid Khan 1-32).
Published in Dawn, November 1st, 2014