Farhan’s fighting knock goes in vain as Pakistan U19 lose the opener against England

Pakistan lost their U19 ODI World Cup opening game against England U19, ending their eleven-match winning streak against the opposition.

Falconer and Albert resisted

Bowling first, the Pakistan bowlers were characteristically miserly in leaking runs. However, the English batters refused to subside, which resulted in both sides playing catch-up and set a trend that continued for the entirety of the match.

Caleb Falconer and Ralphnie Albert kept the run flow steady after the top four failed to impress. The middle-order batters built a partnership of 80 off 86 balls. However, soon after the stand was broken, England were hit by a collapse that dragged their innings well below what they would have hoped for. They lost five wickets for just forty runs and eventually settled for a modest total of 211.

Pakistan lose momentum

Pakistan U19 did not appear to be under any immediate threat for much of the chase. Even when they lost Sameer Minhas, the batter many tuned in to watch, early on, the target did not seem to require anything extraordinary. As long as the scoreboard kept ticking, they looked on course to get over the line.

However, the continuous fall of wickets made even that difficult. And by the time they realised they were in trouble, it was too late to salvage the game. Farhan Yousaf scored a resolute 65, but his dismissal dealt a significant blow to Pakistan’s chances. Bowlers Momin Qamar and Umar Zaib tried to resist England’s onslaught, but the tail could only take the total to 173, 37 runs short of the target. 

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