Sameer Minhas shines again as Pakistan U19 beat USA U19

Pakistan U19 wrapped up their first warm-up game after their previous match against Bangladesh U19 was washed out in Masvingo. Batting first, Pakistan set the USA U19 a target of 294, which proved to be more than what the latter could have chased. 

Sameer and Ahmed were too good for USA

Sameer Minhas was once again the standout player as he scored 74 off 55 balls before retiring out. Like him, the left-handed batter, Ahmed Hussain, who scored 43 off 62 balls, left the field on his own accord. 

The remaining Pakistan batters kept ticking the scoreboard, with Ali Hassan Baloch playing a fabulous late-innings blitz. Ali scored 36 in just 19 balls, hitting two fours and three sixes in the process. 

While the USA batters attempted their best to put in a team effort in the face of an immense target, with batter Sahil Garg scoring 75 runs, they eventually fell short of the target by 69 runs. 

Ahmed’s contribution with the ball

As if his contributions with the bat weren’t enough, Ahmed dismissed a couple of players, including the USA captain, Utkarsh Srivastava.

Talking after the game about his all-round brilliance in the warm-up game, Ahmed said he has been working on improving his performance across all three aspects, including batting, bowling, and fielding. 

“When I came in, we had lost two wickets, so the plan was to bat deep and play according to the situation. There was help for the fast bowlers early on, so I focused on staying patient and building the innings.

“I have worked hard on all three aspects of the game, especially fielding, which I continue to improve. The coaching staff has put in a lot of hard work with us, particularly on saving runs and boundary fielding.

“The team environment is very good, we support each other and are confident of doing well in the World Cup.”

Pakistan will now travel to Harare to play their opening game of the World Cup against England U19 on January 16. 

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