BULAWAYO: Pakistan were knocked out of ICC Men’s U19 World Cup 2026 after suffering a 58-run loss to India in their Super Sixes match in Bulawayo on Sunday.
Chasing a challenging target of 253, Pakistan were bowled out for 194 in 46.2 overs despite a promising start from openers Sameer Minhas and wicketkeeper-batter Hamza Zahoor.
Henil Patel provided the breakthrough by dismissing Minhas for nine off 11 balls, including two fours, ending the 23-run opening stand.
Zahoor then joined forces with Usman Khan, and the duo put together a 50-run partnership for the second wicket, keeping Pakistan in the chase with a brisk scoring rate.
Kanishk Chouhan broke the 65-run stand by dismissing Zahoor, who made a vital 42 off 49 balls with eight boundaries, leaving Pakistan at 88-2 in 17 overs.
The Green Shirts continued to struggle to maintain the required scoring rate. They reached the 100-run mark in the 21st over, needing 151 more runs in 12.3 overs.
Skipper Farhan Yousaf steadied the innings alongside Usman Khan, adding crucial runs, but could not accelerate the scoring effectively.
Usman reached his fourth Youth ODI fifty, putting together a 63-run partnership with Farhan. However, RS Ambrish dismissed Farhan for 38 off 39 balls, which included three fours and two sixes, breaking the partnership.
Pakistan then lost Ahmed Hussain (2) to Ayush Mhatre, leaving the team at 159-4 in 31.1 overs. Usman’s resistance ended at 66 off 92 balls, falling to Mhatre’s second wicket.
Pakistan’s innings continued to crumble as Ali Hassan Baloch (3) was dismissed by Vihaan Malhotra, and Abdul Subhan (7) and Momin Qamar (0) were sent back by Khilan Patel and Mhatre respectively.
The final wickets fell to Khilan Patel, who also dismissed Mohammad Sayyam (3) and Huzaifa, sealing India’s 58-run victory.
Khilan Patel and Ayush Mhatre were the standout bowlers for India, claiming three wickets each, while Vihaan Malhotra, Kanishk Chouhan, Henil Patel and RS Ambrish contributed with one wicket apiece.
Batting first, India got off to a strong start as opening pair Aaron George and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi dominated Pakistan’s bowling attack, putting together a solid opening partnership.
Their momentum, however, was halted when Mohammad Sayyam broke the 47-run stand by dismissing Sooryavanshi for 30 off 22 balls, which included five fours and a six, in the fourth delivery of the eighth over.
Sayyam continued his impact in the same over by claiming his second wicket, dismissing India’s captain Ayush Mhatre for a second-ball duck, giving the Green Shirts the upper hand.
India’s innings suffered another setback on the first ball of the ninth over when Abdul Subhan dismissed Aaron George, who had scored 16 runs off 25 balls with one four, leaving India struggling at 47-3 in 8.1 overs.
Vedant Trivedi and Vihaan Malhotra steadied the innings with a sensible partnership, helping India surpass the 50-run mark.
Ahmed Hussain ended the 62-run fourth-wicket stand by dismissing Malhotra for 21 off 43 balls, including one four, leaving India at 109-4 in 23.4 overs.
Abhigyan Kundu then joined the crease and batted responsibly alongside Trivedi. The partnership was broken when Ali Hassan Baloch claimed Kundu for 16 off 27 balls, including one four.
Trivedi continued to anchor the innings with a vital knock of 68 off 98 balls, which included two fours and a six, before falling to spinner Momin Qamar, leaving India at 182-6 in 40.2 overs.
RS Ambrish and Kanishk Chouhan carried the innings forward, taking India past the 200-run mark.
Ali Raza finally struck, dismissing Ambrish for 29 off 38 balls, including two fours. Chouhan and Khilan Patel then added crucial runs, putting India in a strong position.
The duo put together a 50-run partnership, taking India past the 250-run mark. However, Subhan dismissed Patel for 21 off 15 balls, which included two fours and one six.
In the same over, Subhan also removed Chouhan for 35 off 29 balls, which included four boundaries and a six, while the final batter Deepesh Devendran was run out for one.
Abdul Subhan led the bowling attack, registering figures of 3/33 in 9.5 overs, followed by Mohammad Sayyam with two wickets. Ali Raza, Ahmed Hussain, Momin Qamar and Ali Hassan Baloch chipped in with one wicket apiece.
