Pakistan A booked their place in the finals of the ongoing ACC Emerging Asia Cup with an impressive 60-run victory over Sri Lanka A in the semi-final clash on Friday.
The Men in Green will now face the winners of the second semi-final, featuring Bangladesh A and India A. In the semi-final match, the home side’s pursuit of a target of 323 runs fell short as they were bowled out for 262 in 45.4 overs.
Pacer Arshad Iqbal was the standout performer for Pakistan, claiming an impressive 5-37. Mubasir Khan and Sufiyan Muqeem also contributed significantly with two wickets each.
Although Sahan Arachchige and Avishka Fernando put up a valiant effort, scoring 97 runs each for Sri Lanka, it wasn’t enough to secure victory for their side.
Earlier, Pakistan A posted a challenging total of 322 against Sri Lanka A, with fifties from Omair Bin Yousuf and captain Mohammad Haris leading the charge.
Choosing to bat first in Colombo, the Pakistan cricket team managed to put up 322 runs on the board before being bowled out on the final ball of the innings. Omair scored 88 runs off 79 balls, featuring 10 fours and a six, while Haris played a brisk knock of 52 runs in 43 balls, including five fours.
Mubasir Khan (42) and Tayyab Tahir (26) also contributed with important runs, and Mohammad Wasim Jr’s quick cameo of 24 runs off 17 balls, including two sixes and a four, added valuable runs to the total.
Sri Lanka’s bowlers Chamika Karunaratne, Pramod Madushan, and Lahiru Samarakoon claimed two wickets each during the innings.
The final of the ACC Emerging Asia Cup is scheduled to take place on Sunday, July 23, in Colombo.
Lineups: Pakistan: Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Tayyab Tahir, Qasim Akram, Omair Yousuf, Mohammad Haris (c), Mubasir Khan, Amad Butt, Mohammad Wasim, Sufiyan Muqeem, Arshad Iqbal.
Sri Lanka: Dunith Wellalage (c), Lasith Croospulle, Avishka Fernando, Minod Bhanuka, Pasindu Sooriyabandara, Ashen Bandara, Sahan Arachchige, Dushan Hemantha, Chamika Karunaratne, Lahiru Samarakoon, Pramod Madushan.
