LAHORE: Opener Shamyl Hussain’s half-century and a quickfire 41 by Arafat Minhas guided Pakistan U-19 team to a four-wicket win over their Bangladesh counterparts in the one-off T20 match at the Shaheed Kamruzzaman Stadium in Rajshahi on Wednesday.

This T20 was Pakistan U-19’s last game of their Bangladesh tour. Prior to this game, the tourists won the one-off four-day match as well as the one-day series (4-1).

Chasing 160 to win on Wednesday, Pakistan lost Shahzaib Khan (0) in the first over. Shamyl was then joined by captain Saad Baig. The pair added 41 runs for the second wicket. At the departure of Saad (24 off 16 balls) in the sixth over, Mohammad Tayyab Arif (16 off 19) stitched a 41-run partnership with Shamyl.

Following Tayyab’s wicket in the 12th over with Pakistan U-19s still requiring 71 to win off 51 balls, left-handed Shamyl was joined by another left-hander in Arafat. The pair added 56 runs for the fourth wicket off just 33. Arafat scored 41 off 22 while smashing seven fours and one six.

Shamyl, on the other hand, continued to keep one end intact and brought up his maiden half-century of the tour. He was dismissed on the last ball of the 19th over, after scoring 67 off 49, hitting seven fours and one six.

The tourists chased down the target on the first ball of the final over with four wickets in hand.

For Bangladesh U-19, Iqbal Hossain Emon took three wickets for 23.

Earlier, after being put in to bat, the hosts totalled 159 for five in 20 overs. Opener Jishan Alam top-scored (26-ball 52) while smashing five fours and four sixes.

Pakistan U-19’s, Ahmed Hussain bagged two wickets for 25 from three overs.

Summarised scores:

PAKISTAN U-19 bt Bangladesh U-19 by four wickets.

BANGLADESH U-19 159-5 in 20 overs (Jishan Alam 52, Ariful Islam 30; Ahmed Hussain 2-25); PAKISTAN U-19 160-6 in 19.1 overs (Shamyl Hussain 67, Arafat Minhas 41; Iqbal Hossain Emon 3-23, Rohanat Doullah Borson 2-39).

Published in Dawn, May 18th, 2023