Pakistan Under-19s are through to the final of the ACC Men’s U19 Asia Cup after beating Bangladesh by nine wickets in the first semi-final at the Al Amerat Cricket Ground in Oman on Thursday.
Chasing 139, Pakistan reached 141 for 1 in 21.5 overs, finishing the match with 169 balls to spare. The defending champions will play the final on Saturday, 14 November, against the winners of the second semi-final between India and Afghanistan. Pakistan went into the semi-final unbeaten after three group wins.
Rizwanullah takes five as Bangladesh fold for 138
Bangladesh won the toss and chose to bat, but the decision brought little reward. Mohammad Sayyam struck twice in the first six overs, removing Jarif Siyam for 1 and Kawser Ahmed for 9, and Bangladesh never recovered their footing.
Abdullah Al Muhi held the innings together with 50 from 45 balls, including four fours and two sixes, and shared a 43-run stand with captain Farid Faysal, who made 17. It was the biggest partnership of the innings. Once Al Muhi fell at 98 for 5, the rest folded quickly. Bangladesh lost their last five wickets for 40 runs and were bowled out for 138 in 31.4 overs.
Only four Bangladesh batters reached double figures: Rakibul Hossan made 26 and All Rafi 20, and two batters were dismissed without scoring.
Rizwanullah did most of the damage, taking 5 for 30 in eight overs. Sayyam finished with 2 for 29, and Ali Raza, Hasnain Abbas Dar and Ahmed Hussain took one wicket each. Rizwanullah’s five wickets took his tally for the tournament to 11, after he had taken six in the group stage.
Openers finish the job in 21.5 overs
Openers Hayam Khan and Usman Khan put on 123 in 20.4 overs, and the chase was effectively over long before the winning runs arrived.
Hayam made 69 from 72 balls, with eight fours and a six, before he was caught off Robiul Anik with the scores level. Usman finished unbeaten on 64 from 54 balls, with seven fours and two sixes, and Abdul Qadir struck an unbeaten 8 from five balls that included a six.
Pakistan’s innings contained no extras at all, and nine wickets remained in hand.
A hundred balls quicker than last December
This was the second time in eleven months that Pakistan have knocked Bangladesh out of the U19 Asia Cup at the semi-final stage.
In last December’s semi-final in Dubai, Bangladesh were bowled out for 121 in a match cut to 27 overs a side by rain, and Pakistan chased 122 for the loss of two wickets, with Sameer Minhas unbeaten on 69 and Abdul Subhan taking four wickets. That chase finished with 69 balls to spare.
Thursday’s win finished with 169 balls to spare, a hundred balls quicker, and one wicket fewer lost. The 2025 match was shortened by rain, so the two chases are not directly comparable, but the pattern is the same.
Four wins, four different heroes
The semi-final continued a pattern that has run through Pakistan’s whole tournament. A different player has stepped forward in each of the four wins.
Against the UAE in the opening match, Pakistan won by nine wickets. Against India, they chased 208 to win by three wickets, with wicketkeeper Hamza Zahoor making an unbeaten century. Against Nepal, they slipped to 64 for 3 before Ahmed Hussain’s 89 from 73 balls and 4 for 35 carried them to a 101-run win. On Thursday, it was Rizwanullah’s five wickets and the openers’ 123-run stand.
The bowling has been shared around too: Rizwanullah leads the attack with 11 wickets, Sayyam has eight, and Ali Raza has six. Captain Farhan Yousaf used six bowlers in the semi-final, five of whom took wickets.
What the final holds
Pakistan will find out their final opponents later on Thursday, when India meet Afghanistan in the second semi-final at the same venue. Afghanistan won all three of their group matches to top Group B, while India’s only defeat in the group came against Pakistan.
A win for India would set up a Pakistan-India final, a repeat of last December’s title match, which Pakistan won. A win for Afghanistan would give Pakistan a first meeting with the tournament’s other unbeaten side.
It was the second Pakistan bowling masterclass of the day: Saqib Khan took seven wickets on his Test debut in Rawalpindi earlier on Thursday. Sri Lanka’s day-three fightback in Rawalpindi had set up a tense finish in the senior team’s Test.
