India 'A' hold nerve to beat Pakistan Shaheens in Emerging Asia Cup thriller

Pakistan Shaheens suffered a narrow seven-run defeat against India 'A' in their opening match of the ACC Men’s Emerging Teams T20 Asia Cup 2024, held at the Oman Cricket Academy Ground in Muscat, Oman, on Saturday night.

The Shaheens fell short of their 184-run target, finishing at 176-7 in 20 overs, despite Arafat Minhas' top score of 41 from 29 balls leading the chase.

Pakistan's Arafat Minhas bats during the ACC Emerging Cup clash against India 'A' on Saturday in Oman.PCB

Shaky start to chase

The Shaheens' chase got off to a rocky start despite captain Mohammad Haris launching the innings with a six off the very first ball. He was dismissed on the second ball, leaving his team in early trouble. Omair Bin Yousuf followed soon after, contributing only two runs before departing, with the Shaheens struggling at 21-2 after 2.3 overs. However, Yasir Khan (33 off 22 balls) and Qasim Akram (27 off 21 balls) formed a crucial 54-run partnership for the third wicket, bringing the Shaheens back into contention.

Yasir’s dismissal, caught brilliantly by Ramandeep Singh at the boundary, left the Shaheens at 75-3 in the eighth over. Qasim Akram was also dismissed in the same over, putting the team under further pressure. Arafat Minhas then stepped in at number five, providing a solid contribution with 41 runs, including five fours and one six, keeping the chase alive. He was supported by Haider Ali, though the latter could only manage 9 runs off 15 balls before falling in the 15th over.

Abdul Samad provided a late spark for the Shaheens, smashing 25 runs off just 15 balls, with two fours and two sixes. This cameo pushed India ‘A’ on the back foot, leaving the Shaheens needing 24 runs from the final two overs.

As the equation came down to 17 from the last over, Samad holed out to Abhishek Sharma off the first ball, further denting Pakistan’s hopes. Mohammad Abbas Afridi fought till the end, remaining unbeaten on 18 from nine balls, but despite his efforts, the Shaheens could not close the gap and finished seven runs short.

For India ‘A’, Anshul Kamboj (3-33), Nishant Sindhu (2-15), and Rasikh Salam (2-30) were the standout bowlers.

Solid foundation laid by Indian openers

Earlier in the match, India ‘A’ chose to bat first after winning the toss. Their openers, Prabhsimran Singh (36 off 19 balls) and Abhishek Sharma (35 off 22 balls), laid a solid foundation with a quickfire 68-run stand.

However, Pakistan’s bowlers staged a comeback after the powerplay, led by Sufiyan Muqeem, who dismissed both Prabhsimran and Nehal Wadhera (25 off 22 balls) to slow down the scoring rate. Between overs six and 15, the Shaheens conceded just 54 runs, keeping India ‘A’ in check.

Pakistan's Sufiyan Muqeem celebrates after picking a wicket during the ACC Emerging Cup clash against India 'A' on Saturday in Oman.PCB

Tilak Verma played a crucial role for India ‘A’ with 44 off 35 balls, holding the innings together before putting on a valuable 43-run partnership with Ramandeep Singh (17 off 11 balls). Their efforts pushed India ‘A’ to a total of 183-8 after 20 overs.

Sufiyan finished with impressive figures of 2-28, while Arafat Minhas, Mohammad Imran Jnr, Qasim Akram, and Zaman Khan each claimed one wicket.

Pakistan Shaheens will look to bounce back in their next match, taking on hosts Oman on Monday.