- Usman Khan takes 4/37; Sayyam and Daniyal two wickets each.
- Pakistan chase 227, losing nine wickets, winning with 3 balls to spare.
- Farhan (65), Ahmed (31) added 89 runs; Hamza finished 68* to seal win.
HARARE: A four-wicket spell by Usman Khan, backed by half-centuries from captain Farhan Yousaf and Hamza Zahoor, powered Pakistan to a tense one-wicket win over Afghanistan in the second match of the Zimbabwe-hosted U19 tri-series at Harare Sports Club on Saturday.
Put into bat first, Afghanistan’s batting unit folded for a meagre 226 in 50 overs despite Osman Sadat’s anchoring half-century.
The opening batter remained the top-scorer for Afghanistan with a cautious 75 off 106 deliveries, laced 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 a Usman-led Pakistan bowling.
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 chipped in with one.
The Green Shirts were made to do hard 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 (zero), inside 13 overs with just 42 runs on the board.
Following 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 crucial stand culminated with 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 made a 78-ball 65, while Ahmed scored an anchoring 31 off 56 deliveries.
Wicketkeeper batter Hamza then took the reins of Pakistan’s pursuit and kept the scoreboard ticking singlehandedly while losing partners at the other end at regular intervals.
The right-handed batter displayed nerves of steel under pressure and eventually led his side 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 bagged two, while Nooristani Omarzai, Wahidullah Zadran and Uzairullah Niazai could claim one apiece.
Following a triumphant start to the U19 series, Pakistan will face Zimbabwe at home in their next fixture, scheduled to be played at the same venue on Monday.
