... Colts crash to a shocking defeat vs Afghanistan
NEW DELHI: Skipper Naveen-ulHaq struck with the new ball, while Azmatullah Omarzai and Qais Ahmad took three wickets as Afghanistan defeated favourites Pakistan by five wickets on the opening day of their Group D tie in the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup on Saturday.
Naveen-ul-Haq reduced Pakistan to 23 for two after the twotime champions elected to bat. However an 88-run third-wicket partnership between opener Rohail Nazir (81 off 105 balls) and Ali Zaryab (30 off 58 balls) steadied the ship but the 2004 and 2006 champions could not consolidate on the stand.
Medium-pacer Azmatulllah Omarzai and spinner Qais Ahmad grabbed three wickets each as Afghanistan showed that they are capable of upsetting leading sides and are the team to watch from Group D, which also has Sri Lanka and Ireland.
Pakistan folded up for 188 in 47.4 overs, following which Darwish Rasool played an unbeaten 76-run knock to help Afghanistan reach the target in 47.3 overs. Pakistan captain Hassan Khan praised the Afghanistan team, which has now beaten them three consecutive times after having also got the better of them twice in the
Asia Cup in November, including the final.
“They bowled and batted really well. They outclassed us in every department, especially in the first innings. “
New Zealand too started their campaign with a comprehensive eight-wicket win over defending champions West Indies, with Finn Allen — a second-timer at the U19 CWC — emerging the star for the hosts with an unbeaten 115 in Tauranga. Bangladesh and Zimbabwe also notched wins on the opening day.