Bangladesh U19s in semis despite loss

Bangladesh under-19 tasted their first defeat in the ongoing Asian Cricket Council's U-19 Asia Cup against their Pakistan counterparts in Galle on Sunday. Chasing 231 runs, the Bangladesh bowlers cornered Pakistan and took the game to the very last over only to eventually lose by one wicket with five balls remaining. The junior Tigers had gone into the game having confirmed their semi-final spot after winning their first two Group B matches against Afghanistan and Singapore. Following the end of the group stage, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Pakistan have nine points each but the men in red and green finished top courtesy a better net run rate and will now take on hosts Sri Lanka, the runners-up of Group A, this Wednesday in Colombo. On the other hand, despite the win, Pakistan will head home as Afghanistan finished second. They will face defending champion India this Tuesday in Colombo. Bangladesh lost the toss and were asked to bat first. Riding on all-rounder Afif Hossain’s 94-ball 80, the junior Tigers posted 230 runs on the board losing all of their wickets with a ball to spare. Bangladesh vice-captain Afif, who featured for Rajshahi Kings in the recently concluded Bangladesh Premier League Twenty20 2016-17 season, hammered eight boundaries and two sixes while Mohammad Rakib added 42 off 53 deliveries. Shaheen Shah Afradi, Muhammad Hasnain, Umer Khan and Nasir Nawaz picked up two wickets each for Pakistan. In reply, Pakistan made a sound start as their entire top order posted vital contributions. Their openers, Muhammad Zaid Alam and Muhammad Mohsin Khan, registered 86 runs, making the job easier for the rest of the batsmen. Opening batsman Zaid top-scored with 50 runs off 32 balls with eight boundaries and a six. Bangladesh then got right back into the game as Pakistan lost five wickets for 15 runs. However, an unbroken 17-run partnership for the 10th wicket between Hasnain and Saad Khan guided Pakistan to their destination. Afif and Shakhawat Hossain bagged two wickets each for Bangladesh. Meanwhile in the other game of the group, Afghanistan recorded a nine-wicket victory over Singapore.BRIEF SCOREPakistan U19 233/9 in 49.1 overs (Zaid 50, Nawaz 45, Afif 2/37) beat Bangladesh U19 230 in 49.5 overs (Afif 80, Rakib 42, Nawaz 2/11) by one wicket