There was a collective murmur around Bulawayo Sports Club this morning when Farhan Yousaf called correctly and told the umpire, simply, “We’ll have a bowl.” The decision is plain enough: Pakistan have to beat India – and beat them quickly – if they want a place in the semi-finals of this Under-19 World Cup.
The table is tight. India sit on six points, unbeaten. Pakistan are two back on four. A win or even a tie keeps Ayush Mhatre’s side safe, while Yousaf’s team need far more than the two points. India’s net run-rate is a chunky 3.337; Pakistan’s, a more modest 1.484. Put another way, should India post 250, Pakistan would have to knock it off in roughly 33 overs. The exact maths will be tweaked once the first innings is done, but the broad picture is clear enough.
Both coaches made a single change. India bring in D Deepesh, a right-arm quick, for the left-armer Udhav Mohan. Pakistan drop middle-order batter Mohammad Shayan and hand a debut to Ali Hassan Baloch, a left-hander who can bowl tidy off-spin. Baloch’s inclusion should lengthen the order and offer half a dozen overs of control if the pitch grips.
This is India’s third straight match in Bulawayo; Pakistan have travelled down from Johannesburg and will learn about the surface on the fly. A sprinkle of extra spice comes from last month’s Asia Cup final, when these same sides met and Pakistan won by a hefty 191 runs. India insist that drubbing is “parked”, but it lingers in the background all the same.
Teams
India Under-19: Aaron George, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ayush Mhatre (capt), Vedant Trivedi, Vihaan Malhotra, Abhigyan Kundu (wk), Kanishk Chouhan, RS Ambrish, Khilan Patel, Henil Patel, D Deepesh.
Pakistan Under-19: Hamza Zahoor (wk), Sameer Minhas, Usman Khan, Farhan Yousaf (capt), Ahmed Hussain, Huzaifa Ahsan, Ali Hassan Baloch, Abdul Subhan, Momin Qamar, Mohammad Sayyam, Ali Raza.
