- Usman Khan takes 4/37; Sayyam and Daniyal two wickets each.
- Chasing 227, Pakistan lose nine wickets, win with 3 balls to spare.
- Farhan (65), Ahmed (31) added 89 runs; Hamza finished 68* to win.
HARARE: A four-wicket spell by 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 Zimbabwe-hosted U19 tri-series at the Harare Sports Club on Saturday.
Put into bat first, Afghanistan’s batting unit folded for a paltry 226 in 50 overs despite Osman Sadat’s half-century anchor.
The opener remained the top scorer for Afghanistan with a cautious 75 off 106 deliveries, with four fours and a six.
Besides him, captain Mahboob Khan (49) and Faisal Shinozada (31) could make notable contributions to Afghanistan’s total against an Usman-led Pakistan bowling.
Usman led Pakistan’s bowling attack 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 chipped in with one.
The Green Shirts were made to make tough yards in pursuit of the 227-run target 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 to the run chase as they lost their top-order batters, including Sameer Minhas (nil), inside 13 overs with just 42 runs on the board.
After the early 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 decisive stand culminated in Farhan’s dismissal in the 31st over and followed with two more wickets in quick succession, resulting in Pakistan slumping to 149/6 in 35.1 overs.
Farhan made a 78-ball 65 while Ahmed scored an anchoring 31 off 56 deliveries.
Wicketkeeper batsman Hamza then took the reins in Pakistan’s chase and single-handedly kept the scoreboard ticking while losing partners 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 bowlers for Afghanistan, taking four wickets for 44 runs in his 10 overs. Zaitullah Shaheen got two while Nooristani Omarzai, Wahidullah Zadran and Uzairullah Niazai could claim one each.
After a triumphant start to the U19 series, Pakistan will face Zimbabwe at home in their next match scheduled to be played at the same venue on Monday.
