Vaibhav Tripathi
In the final of the Emerging Asia Cup 2023 at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, Pakistan Shaheens successfully defended their title by defeating arch-rivals India A with a convincing 128-run margin.
Opting to bowl first after winning the toss, India A faced a formidable opening partnership from Shaheens’ Saim Ayub and Sahibzada Farhan, who displayed attacking cricket and quickly took the team to 103 runs without losing a wicket in just 15 overs. However, a crucial breakthrough by Manav Suthar, dismissing Ayub for 59, triggered India’s comeback as they picked up the next four wickets in quick succession, limiting Pakistan A to 187/5.
Tayyab Tahir emerged as the saviour for Pakistan Shaheens, putting up a display of aggressive batting, smashing a remarkable century in just 66 balls, accumulating 108 runs with 12 fours and 4 sixes. His explosive innings propelled Shaheens to post a commanding total of 352/8 on the scoreboard, with Rajvardhan Hangargekar and Riyan Parag picking up two wickets each for India A.
Chasing the daunting target, India A openers, B. Sai Sudharsan and Abhishek Sharma, started with an attacking approach, but unfortunate decisions by the umpire resulted in the loss of Sudharsan for 29 and Nikin Jose for 11. Abhishek showed resilience and was well-supported by skipper Yash Dhull, but Sufiyan Muqeem dismissed the former for 61 in the 20th over.
Following the fall of the third wicket, India A endured a disastrous period as they lost wickets in quick succession, with their star-studded batting line-up faltering significantly. The team’s score swiftly plummeted from 132/2 to 212/9, and the final wicket was claimed by Mohammad Wasim Jr, who dismissed Yuvrajsinh Dodiya, leading to India A being bundled out for 224 in the 40th over. Sufyan Muqeem took 3 wickets, while Arshad Iqbal and Mehran Mumtaz picked up two wickets each, expertly dismantling the Indian batting unit.