Courtesy: ACC
In the Group B clash of the ACC Men’s T20 Emerging Teams Asia Cup 2024, India A defeated Pakistan Shaheens by seven runs, to register their first win of the tournament. At the Al Amerat Cricket Ground Oman Cricket (Ministry Turf 1), the fast bowler from India A, Anushul Kamboj, was tasked to defend 16 runs against Abdul Samad and Abbas Afridi of Pakistan Shaheens, which he did successfully, to help his team get over the finishing line.
For the unversed, after winning the toss, Tilak Varma, the captain of India A, decided to bat first on a placid track, and their openers Abhishek Sharma (35 off 22) and Prabhsimran Singh (36 off 19) got off to a flyer against Pakistan Shaheens. Their opening stand of 68 runs was broken just after the power play stage before Tilak Varma top scored in the India A innings with his controlled 44 off 35, which included only a couple of fours and maximums.
In the latter stages of the India A’s batting effort, the bowling lineup of Pakistan Shaheens picked up regular wickets, to ensure that they weren’t chasing a total in excess of 200 runs. India A finished their inning on 183/8 due to a couple of vital boundaries from tailenders Rahul Chahar and Rasikh Salam, while for Pakistan Shaheens, Sufiyan Muqeem was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 2/28 in his four-over spell.
The pursuit of the 184-run target didn’t start well for Pakistan Shaheens as they lost a couple of top order wickets for single digit scores in the first three overs of their innings itself, including their captain Mohammad Haris getting knocked over by Anshul Kamboj, the India A pacer. Following that, Yasir Khan (33 off 22) and Qasim Akram (27 off 21) built a much-needed partnership of 51 runs for the third wicket, to bring Pakistan Shaheens firmly back into the contest.
After Yasir Khan and Qasim Akram were dismissed in quick succession, Arafat Minhas, who top scored for Pakistan Shaheens with his 41 off 29, which included five fours and one maximum, kept the momentum of their innings going. But after his wicket fell, Pakistan Shaheens were staring down the barrel until Abdul Samad and Abbas Afridi gave them hope of a late revival, only for Anshul Kamboj to hold his nerve in the final over while defending 16 runs, to restrict the opposition to 176/7 in their allotted overs, just seven runs away from the winning target.
