Colombo: Pakistan Shaheens secured a comprehensive victory in the final against India A in Colombo, Sri Lanka, by defeating them by 128 runs to lift the Emerging Asia Cup. India’s chase ended at 224 runs in 40 overs, falling short of the target of 353 runs.
Spinner Sufiyan Muqeem created troubles for the Men in Blue, taking three crucial wickets, including opener Abhishek Sharma (61), captain Yash Dull (39), and Harshit Rana (13), conceding 66 runs in 10 overs.
Mehran Mumtaz, Mohammad Wasim, and Arshad Iqbal secured two wickets each.
Abhishek Sharma was India’s top run-scorer with 61 runs in 51 balls.
Earlier, Pakistan A set India A a target of 353 runs on a good batting surface.
Tayyab Tahir’s brilliant century helped Pakistan reach a massive total in the Emerging Cup Final despite a shaky start. He scored 108 runs off 71 balls with an impressive strike rate of 152.11, rescuing Pakistan from 5-187. Sahibzada Farhan (65 off 62) and Saim Ayub (59 off 51) gave a strong opening.
In the final, India A won the toss and chose to bowl. Pakistan made one change, with Mehran Mumtaz replacing Amad Butt.
India A defeated Bangladesh A by 51 runs in the second semi-final, while Pakistan A beat Sri Lanka A by 60 runs to reach the final.
Before the final, Babar Azam visited Pakistan Shaheens and motivated the players, including Mohammad Haris, Saim Ayub, Shahnawaz Dahani, and others.
