 "Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Mohsin Naqvi described Pakistan A's 8-wicket victory over India A in their Asia Cup Rising Stars match in Doha as a \"proud moment\" for the country. Image credit: AP/ACC")
Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Mohsin Naqvi hailed Pakistan A’s victory over India A at the Asia Cup Rising Stars in Qatar as a “proud moment” for the country, adding that the future of Pakistani cricket is “shining bright”.
Pakistan A produced a clinical performance against their arch-rivals on Sunday, bowling India A out for just 136 and later cruising to an eight-wicket victory with nearly seven overs to spare in their Group B clash. As a result, the Irfan Khan-led side became the first team to qualify for the semi-finals of the continental tournament, which is taking place entirely in Doha.
It was the first time Pakistan had defeated India in a cricketing showdown in months. As far as the senior men’s team is concerned, India had defeated Pakistan in their ICC Champions Trophy showdown in February, and had also beaten them thrice in as many meetings in the Asia Cup in September, including in the final on 28 September .
It was no different in women’s cricket, with the Harmanpreet Kaur-led Indian team defeating Pakistan in their World Cup showdown in Colombo last month.
Naqvi, Afridi celebrate ‘dominant, fearless, and unforgettable performance’
Pakistan’s clinical performance against India, even if in a lower-tier event, will have understandably led to celebrations across the country, with PCB chief Naqvi among those taking to social media to express joy over the eight-wicket thrashing.
“What a proud moment for Pakistan and for the Board today! Our Pakistan Sheheens defeated India A by 8 wickets, chasing down the target in 13.2 runs. A dominant, fearless, and unforgettable performance in the Asia Cup Rising Stars Tournament in Doha,” Naqvi, who is also the current president of the Asian Cricket Council, wrote in a post on X.
“Superb cricket by our young guns, the future of Pakistan is shining bright. Congratulations to the nation!” he added.
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View AllPakistan ODI captain Shaheen Afridi too made special mention of the victory over India A after leading his team to a 3-0 sweep over Sri Lanka in Rawalpindi.
“Pakistan Shaheens won against out neighbours, so that’s a big achievement for us,” said the pacer, who had recently succeeded wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan as Pakistan’s ODI skipper.
India A suffer a setback after a strong start
Both India A and Pakistan A had begun their Asia Cup Rising Stars campaign with clinical victories against UAE and Oman respectively on Friday. The Jitesh Sharma-led Indian team thrashed UAE by 148 runs with young batting sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi smashing a scintillating 144 off 42 balls , bringing up his century in just 32 deliveries.
Suryavanshi had also top-scored for the Indians in Sunday’s blockbuster clash at the West End Park International Cricket Stadium in the Qatari capital, smashing 45 off 28 deliveries that contained five fours and three sixes.
The Indians, however, failed to capitalise on his strong star as well as Naman Dhir’s 20-ball 35 as they lost wickets at regular intervals and were eventually bowled out for a sub-par total that was easily overhauled by their opponents.
Despite the setback, India A are expected to join Pakistan A in the semi-finals as they currently are second in the group with a Net Run Rate of 2.245 and face Oman in their final group match on Tuesday.
As for Group A, defending champions Afghanistan A are tied on two points with Bangladesh A and Sri Lanka A – who have played an additional game. Hong Kong, who are the fourth team in the group and the third side in the tournament to field a full-strength senior side, are yet to collect a point after two matches.