Pakistan produced a dramatic turnaround to beat arch-rivals India by three wickets in the ACC Men’s U19 Asia Cup on Sunday, riding on a magnificent unbeaten century from wicketkeeper-batter Hamza Zahoor. Chasing 209 at the Al Amerat Cricket Ground in Oman, Pakistan were in deep trouble at 61 for 5 before Zahoor’s 100 not out off 108 balls carried them home with 11 balls to spare.
Zahoor, who batted at number seven, struck 10 fours and three sixes in a masterclass of composure under pressure, and shared a 107-run sixth-wicket stand with Hasnain Abbas Dar that turned the match on its head. He finished the job with a boundary that also brought up his hundred, and was named Player of the Match for an innings that will be remembered as one of the great rescue acts in age-group cricket.
India had earlier posted 208 all out in 46.3 overs after being put in to bat, thanks almost entirely to Arjun Rajput’s superb 107 off 85 balls. Rajput rescued India from 42 for 4 with an innings that included 11 fours and five sixes, but he found little support from the other end, and Pakistan’s bowlers shared the spoils — Rizwanullah, Ali Raza and Niqab Shafiq taking three wickets each.
India’s bowlers then gave their side a real chance. Manal Chauhan took three wickets and Pakistan’s top order crumbled to 61 for 5 in the 15th over, with the Indian fielders buzzing around the bat. At that point, few in the ground would have backed the defending champions to chase down 209.
But Zahoor, who had watched the pitch for 46 overs from behind the stumps, knew exactly how it would play. He batted with the calm of a player twice his age, rotating the strike, punishing the loose ball, and shielding the lower order from the strike when the pressure mounted. Dar’s 38 gave him the support he needed, and by the time the pair had added 107, the chase was firmly in Pakistan’s hands.
The win takes Pakistan to the top of Group A with two wins from two matches, while India, who next face the UAE on Tuesday, will need a win in their final group game to be sure of a semi-final place. It was also Pakistan’s fifth win over India at this level since 2021, a record that underlines their recent dominance in the rivalry.
For India, Rajput’s century in a losing cause will be cold comfort, and the team management will have questions to answer about a batting collapse that left them 20 to 30 runs short of a par score. But the match belonged to Zahoor — a 17-year-old who walked in with his team sinking and walked off unbeaten, having turned a certain defeat into a famous win.
